Rick Steves' Europe

HI, I'M RICK STEVES,

BACK WITH MORE OF THE BEST OF EUROPE.

THIS TIME, WE'RE IN NORTH ITALY,

ENJOYING THE LOFTY AND INSPIRING HEIGHTS OF MILANO.

THANKS FOR JOINING US.

MANY TOURISTS COME TO ITALY BECAUSE OF ITS PAST.

BUT MILANO IS TODAY'S ITALY,

AND NO ITALIAN TRIP IS COMPLETE WITHOUT VISITING THIS CITY.

WHILE OVERLOOKED BY MANY,

MILANO HAS PLENTY TO SEE AND IS A JOY TO VISIT.

IN MILANO, WE'LL SOAR ON THE ROOFTOP

OF ONE OF EUROPE'S GRANDEST GOTHIC CATHEDRALS,

WINDOW-SHOP IN MILAN'S FASHIONABLE NEIGHBORHOODS,

VISIT THE WORLD'S MOST FAMOUS OPERA HOUSE,

AND ADMIRE A LEONARDO MASTERPIECE

BEFORE RELAXING: IN THE 19th-CENTURY CHARM OF LAKE COMO.

ITALY HOSTS MILLIONS OF VISITORS EVERY YEAR,

BUT MANY MISS THE HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NORTH.

IN THIS PROGRAM, WE TOUR MILANO

AND SIDE TRIP INTO THE LAKE DISTRICT,

EXPLORING MY FAVORITE -- LAKE COMO --

SPECIFICALLY, THE TOWNS OF VARENNA AND BELLAGIO.

THEY SAY, FOR EVERY CHURCH IN ROME,

THERE'S A BANK IN MILAN.

ITALY'S SECOND CITY,

AND THE CAPITAL OF THE REGION OF LOMBARDY,

MILANO IS A HARDWORKING, FASHION-CONSCIOUS,

TIME-IS-MONEY CITY OF NEARLY A MILLION AND A HALF.

AND THE CITY IS: A FASCINATING MELTING POT OF PEOPLE AND HISTORY.

ITALY RECENTLY SURPASSED BRITAIN IN PER CAPITA INCOME,

AND THAT DIDN'T HAPPEN BECAUSE OF ITS CUTE RIVIERA PORTS

AND TUSCAN HILLTOWNS.

THE ECONOMIC SUCCESS OF MODERN ITALY

IS DRIVEN BY THIS CITY: OF PUBLICISTS AND PASTA POWER LUNCHES.

MILAN IS ITALY'S INDUSTRIAL, BANKING,

PUBLISHING, AND CONVENTION CAPITAL.

AS IF MAKING UP FOR ITS BLOCKY ARCHITECTURE,

ITS PEOPLE ARE WORKS OF ART.

MILAN IS AN INTERNATIONAL FASHION CENTER

WITH A REFINED TASTE.

WINDOW DISPLAYS ARE GORGEOUS.

YET, THANKFULLY, MILAN IS

NO MORE EXPENSIVE FOR TOURISTS THAN OTHER ITALIAN CITIES.

THE IMPORTANCE OF MILANO IS NOTHING NEW.

THREE HUNDRED YEARS BEFORE CHRIST,

THE ROMANS CALLED THIS PLACE MEDIOLANUM,

OR "THE CENTRAL PLACE."

BY THE 4th CENTURY A.D., IT WAS THE CAPITAL

OF THE WESTERN HALF OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE.

IT WAS FROM HERE THAT EMPEROR CONSTANTINE

ISSUED THE EDICT OF MILAN,

WHICH LEGALIZED CHRISTIANITY IN THE YEAR 313.

AFTER STRUGGLING THROUGH THE EARLY MIDDLE AGES,

MILAN ROSE TO PROMINENCE: UNDER THE POWERFUL VISCONTI AND SFORZA FAMILIES.

BY THE TIME OF THE RENAISSANCE,

THE CITY WAS CALLED "THE NEW ATHENS"

AND WAS ENOUGH OF A CULTURAL CENTER

FOR LEONARDO DA VINCI TO CALL HOME.

AND THEN CAME FOUR CENTURIES OF FOREIGN DOMINATION --

SPAIN, AUSTRIA, FRANCE, AND MORE AUSTRIA.

IN THE 19th CENTURY,

MILANO BECAME A CENTER OF REVOLUTION

AGAINST AUSTRIAN RULE,

AND THEN IT HELPED SPEARHEAD THE MOVEMENT

FOR ITALIAN INDEPENDENCE AND UNIFICATION.

IN THE 20th CENTURY, MUSSOLINI LEFT

A HEAVY FASCIST TOUCH ON MILAN'S ARCHITECTURE.

IL DUCE HIMSELF: MADE GRANDIOSE SPEECHES FROM THESE BALCONIES.

AND MILAN'S IMMENSE TRAIN STATION THUNDERS FASCISM.

EVERY TIME I PASS THROUGH, I IMAGINE THE RUSH

THE FASCISTS MUST HAVE FELT ON THE DAY IN 1931

WHEN THE GRAND RENOVATIONS OF THIS STATION WERE UNVEILED.

IT'S DESIGNED TO MAKE YOU FEEL SMALL,

TOO SMALL TO QUESTION MUSSOLINI

AND HIS GOVERNMENT'S RIGHT WING AGENDA.

MUSSOLINI'S EXCESSES LED: TO THE BOMBING OF MILAN IN WORLD WAR II.

BUT MILAN ROSE AGAIN.

THE 1959 PIRELLI TOWER WAS A TRENDSETTER.

TODAY, MILAN IS DYNAMIC AND A COMMERCIAL POWERHOUSE.

THE CITY'S CENTERPIECE IS: ITS MAGNIFICENT DUOMO, OR CATHEDRAL --

THE FOURTH-LARGEST IN EUROPE.

BACK IN THE 14th CENTURY, WHEN EUROPE WAS FRAGMENTED

INTO COUNTLESS LITTLE INDEPENDENT STATES,

THE DUKES OF MILAN WANTED TO IMPRESS

THEIR GERMAN AND FRENCH COUNTERPARTS.

TO EARN THEIR RESPECT, THEY BUILT THIS HUGE

AND RICHLY ORNAMENTED CATHEDRAL.

EVEN THOUGH THE RENAISSANCE STYLE,

WITH ITS DOMES AND ROUNDED ARCHES,

WAS IN VOGUE ELSEWHERE IN ITALY,

CONSERVATIVE MILANO STUCK WITH THE GOTHIC STYLE.

THE DUKES,

THINKING NORTHERNERS COULD RELATE BETTER TO GOTHIC,

LOADED IT WITH POINTED SPIRES AND ARCHES.

AND EVERYTHING'S MADE OF MARBLE.

THE STATUES ON THE TIPS OF THE MANY SPIRES

SEEM SO RELAXED,

LIKE THEY'RE JUST HANGING OUT, WAITING FOR THEIR BIG DAY.

THE FANCIFUL GARGOYLES, FUNCTIONING AS DRAIN SPOUTS,

ARE ESPECIALLY IMAGINATIVE.

THE CHURCH IS A GOOD EXAMPLE OF THE FLAMBOYANT,

OR "FLAMELIKE," OVERDONE FINAL STAGE OF GOTHIC.

STEP INSIDE, AND YOU'RE STRUCK BY THE IMMENSITY OF THE PLACE.

THE SOARING CEILING IS SUPPORTED BY SEQUOIA-SIZED PILLARS.

STARTED IN 1386 AND NOT FINISHED UNTIL 1810,

THIS CONSTRUCTION PROJECT ORIGINATED THE PHRASE

ITALIANS USE TO SAY NEVER-ENDING --

"LIKE BUILDING A CATHEDRAL."

MUCH OF THE BRILLIANTLY COLORED STAINED GLASS

DATES FROM ABOUT 1500.

SO DOES THE FINE INLAID MARBLE FLOOR.

AFTER 500 YEARS OF WEAR, YOU CAN TELL THAT

THE BLACK MARBLE IS HARDER THAN THE REST.

A GROTESQUE 16th-CENTURY STATUE OF ST. BARTOLOMEO,

A MARTYR SKINNED ALIVE BY THE ROMANS,

WEARS HIS SKIN LIKE A ROBE.

YOU CAN ACTUALLY SEE HIS LIMP FEET AND DANGLING FACE.

IT WAS SCULPTED BY A STUDENT OF LEONARDO,

WHO OBVIOUSLY PICKED UP: HIS MASTER'S PASSION FOR THE HUMAN ANATOMY.

CAP YOUR VISIT WITH A TRIP TO THE ROOFTOP.

WALKING THROUGH ITS FOREST OF PINNACLES AND STATUES,

YOU ENJOY GREAT VIEWS OF THE CHURCH'S STATUARY,

AS WELL AS OF THE CITY.

AND, CROWNING THE CATHEDRAL,

A GOLDEN VIRGIN MARY OVERLOOKS EVERYTHING.

"LA MADONNINA," AS SHE'S AFFECTIONATELY CALLED,

IS AN ICON OF MILANO.

MILAN'S MAIN SQUARE IS A CLASSIC EUROPEAN SCENE

AND A POPULAR LOCAL GATHERING POINT.

THE STATUE FEATURES VICTOR EMMANUEL II,

FIRST KING OF ITALY.

HE'S LOOKING AT THE GRAND GALLERY

NAMED FOR HIM.

THE WORDS ABOVE THE TRIUMPHAL ARCH ENTRANCE READ --

"TO VICTOR EMMANUEL II, FROM THE PEOPLE OF MILAN."

THE GALLERIA VITTORIO EMANUELE IS THE PRIDE OF THE CITY.

BUILT DURING THE HEADY DAYS OF ITALIAN UNIFICATION,

AROUND 1870, IT WAS THE FIRST BUILDING IN TOWN

TO HAVE ELECTRIC LIGHTING.

ITS ART CELEBRATES THE ESTABLISHMENT OF ITALY

AS AN INDEPENDENT COUNTRY.

AROUND THE CENTRAL DOME,

MOSAICS SYMBOLIZE THE FOUR MAJOR CONTINENTS.

THE MOSAIC FLOOR IS ALSO PATRIOTIC.

THE SHE-WOLF WITH ROMULUS AND REMUS

HONORS ROME, THE NATIONAL CAPITAL.

A FAVORITE IS THE TORINO, OR "LITTLE BULL."

WHILE IT REPRESENTS THE CITY OF TORINO,

FOR LOCALS, IT'S A SOURCE OF GOOD LUCK.

THEY CAN'T RESIST STEPPING ON HIS LITTLE TESTICLES.

LOCALS CLAIM IT WORKS BETTER IF YOU GIVE IT A SPIN.

MILAN'S IMMENSE SFORZA CASTLE TELLS THE STORY

OF THE CITY IN BRICK.

IT GUARDED THE GATE TO THE CITY WALL

AND DEFENDED THE RULING FAMILY

FROM THREATS BOTH FOREIGN AND DOMESTIC.

IN THE 1500s,

THE ENTIRE CITY WAS CIRCLED BY STATE-OF-THE-ART WALLS,

OF WHICH THIS CASTLE WAS A KEY ELEMENT.

IT'S APPARENT FROM THE ENORMITY OF THIS FORTIFICATION

THAT MILANO WAS A STRATEGIC PRIZE.

WHILE THE TOWN WALLS ARE LONG GONE,

THIS MASSIVE CASTLE SURVIVES, LEAVING THE CITY

WITH AN INVITING AND WELL-USED PUBLIC SPACE.

LOCALS AND TOURISTS ALIKE: ENJOY STROLLING ITS EXPANSIVE GROUNDS.

A SHORT TRAM RIDE TAKES YOU TO A DIFFERENT KIND

OF PUBLIC PLACE --: MILAN'S MONUMENTAL CEMETERY.

WHILE THERE ARE MANY EVOCATIVE CEMETERIES IN EUROPE,

THIS ONE -- WITH ITS EMOTIONAL PORTRAYALS

OF THE DEPARTED AND THEIR HEAVENLY ESCORTS --

IN THE MELODRAMATIC ART STYLES

FROM THE LATE 19th AND EARLY 20th CENTURIES --

IS IN A CLASS BY ITSELF.

IT'S A VAST GARDEN ART GALLERY

OF PROUD BUSTS AND GRIM REAPERS,

HEARTBROKEN ANGELS AND WEEPING WIDOWS.

SOLDIERS TOO YOUNG TO DIE.

ACRES OF GRIEF,

HOPE, AND MEMORIES.

THE GRAND, PEDESTRIANIZED VIA DANTE

LEADS FROM THE SFORZA CASTLE: TOWARD THE TOWN CENTER AND THE CATHEDRAL.

IT WAS CARVED OUT OF A MEDIEVAL TANGLE OF STREETS

TO CELEBRATE ITALIAN UNIFICATION.

BECAUSE OF THAT, THE FACADES LINING IT

ARE RELATIVELY NEW -- DATING FROM THE LATE 1800s.

OVER THE VIGOROUS COMPLAINTS OF MERCHANTS,

THE STREET BECAME TRAFFIC-FREE IN 1995.

TODAY, THOSE MERCHANTS WOULD HAVE IT NO OTHER WAY.

FASHIONISTAS LOVE MILAN'S WORLD-CLASS SHOPPING ZONE,

A NEIGHBORHOOD CALLED THE QUADRILATERAL.

THIS ELEGANT HIGH-FASHION DISTRICT

WAS THE ORIGINAL BEVERLY HILLS OF MILAN.

OVERSEEING THE SHOPPING ACTION ARE THE EXCLUSIVE

AND ELUSIVE PENTHOUSE APARTMENTS

WITH THEIR PLUSH ROOF GARDENS.

SINCE THE 1920s,

THIS HAS BEEN THE PLACE FOR DESIGNER LABELS.

IN THIS SCENE, THE PEOPLE-WATCHING

IS AS ENTERTAINING AS THE WINDOW-SHOPPING.

FOR EDIBLE FASHION,

CHECK OUT ONE OF MILAN'S GOURMET DELIS LIKE PECK.

IF EVER YOU WANTED TO HAVE A PICNIC MEAL

AND NOT SAVE MONEY, BUY IT HERE.

EVERYTHING'S IMPECCABLE, FROM THE STAFF

TO THE LAVISH DISPLAYS.

THE BUSY KITCHEN IS LIKE A GOURMET ASSEMBLY LINE.

POSH MARKETS LIKE THIS SERVE FINE FOOD

TO BOTH MILAN'S BUSY PROFESSIONALS

AND ITS WELL-TO-DO.

AND IF YOU'RE SPENDING HALF YOUR BUDGET ON A PICNIC,

YOU MIGHT AS WELL RIDE THE ELEVATOR INTO THE CELLAR

FOR A BOTTLE OF WINE TO MATCH.

CATERING TO PEOPLE WITH GOOD TASTE

AND MORE MONEY THAN TIME,

PLACES LIKE THIS PUT AN ELEGANT TWIST ON FAST FOOD.

500 YEARS AGO, LEONARDO DA VINCI CONTRIBUTED

TO THE CITY'S REPUTATION FOR DESIGN AND AESTHETICS.

IN FACT, LEONARDO'S IDENTIFIED WITH MILAN

MORE THAN ANY OTHER ITALIAN CITY.

THIS IS WHERE HE SPENT SOME OF HIS MOST PRODUCTIVE YEARS,

ENJOYING THE GENEROUS PATRONAGE OF THE SFORZA FAMILY.

LEONARDO WAS THE EPITOME OF A RENAISSANCE GENIUS.

THAT MEANS HE WAS WELL-ROUNDED --

HE WAS A PAINTER AND SCULPTOR.

HE WAS ALSO A MUSICIAN, SCIENTIST, ENGINEER,

ARCHITECT -- YOU NAME IT.

HE DID EVERYTHING, AND HE DID IT WELL.

THIS STATUE CELEBRATES THE MANY WAYS

LEONARDO CONTRIBUTED TO THE CITY OF MILAN

DURING THE YEARS HE LIVED HERE.

THE RELIEFS RECALL LEONARDO'S VARIED PROFESSIONAL TRIUMPHS.

LEONARDO, WEARING HIS HYDROENGINEER HAT HERE,

RE-ENGINEERED MILAN'S CANAL SYSTEM, COMPLETE WITH LOCKS.

UNTIL THE 1920s,

MILAN WAS ONE OF ITALY'S MAJOR PORTS,

WITH CANALS CONNECTING THE CITY TO THE PO RIVER

AND TO THE MEDITERRANEAN BEYOND.

AND LEONARDO DESIGNED: THE LARGEST EQUESTRIAN MONUMENT IN THE WORLD,

AGAIN, FOR THE SFORZA FAMILY.

THOUGH THE ORIGINAL WAS DESTROYED IN 1499

BY INVADING FRENCH TROOPS WHO USED IT FOR TARGET PRACTICE,

THE GIANT HORSE WAS REBUILT IN 1999

BY THE AMERICAN ARTIST CHARLES DENT,

FROM LEONARDO'S DRAWINGS.

ONE OF LEONARDO'S GREATEST MASTERPIECES

DECORATES THE MONKS' DINING HALL

ADJACENT THE CHURCH OF SANTA MARIA DELLE GRAZIE.

ADMISSION TO THE LAST SUPPER IS BY RESERVATION ONLY,

AND SPOTS CAN BE BOOKED UP WELL OVER A MONTH IN ADVANCE.

GOOD GUIDEBOOKS EXPLAIN THE PROCESS.

BECAUSE OF THE FRAGILITY: OF THIS MUCH-LOVED RENAISSANCE MASTERPIECE,

THE HUMIDITY IS CAREFULLY REGULATED.

WE'RE ENJOYING A PRIVATE VISIT WITH OUR TV CAMERA.

BUT NORMALLY, GROUPS OF 25 ARE ALLOWED IN

EVERY 15 MINUTES,

ONLY AFTER DEHUMIDIFYING IN THIS WAITING CHAMBER.

SEEING THE LAST SUPPER,

ONE OF THE GREATEST WORKS IN ART HISTORY,

IS WELL WORTH THE HASSLE.

LEONARDO PORTRAYS THE LAST DINNER

JESUS HAD WITH HIS DISCIPLES BEFORE HE WAS CRUCIFIED.

THE COMPOSITION IS DREAMY.

LEONARDO CAPTURES THE PSYCHOLOGICAL DRAMA

AS JESUS SAYS, "ONE OF YOU WILL BETRAY ME,"

AND THE APOSTLES, HUDDLING IN STRESSED-OUT GROUPS OF THREE,

WONDER, "LORD, IS IT I?"

SOME ARE SCANDALIZED,

OTHERS WANT MORE INFORMATION.

IN THIS AGITATED ATMOSPHERE,

ONLY JUDAS, CLUTCHING HIS 30 PIECES OF SILVER,

IS NOT SHOCKED.

LEONARDO EMPLOYS HIS UNDERSTANDING OF PERSPECTIVE

TO GIVE THE FRESCO ADDED PUNCH.

THE BUILDING'S LINES OF PERSPECTIVE

CONVERGE RIGHT ON CHRIST.

THE VIEWER DOESN'T UNDERSTAND THE MATHEMATICS,

BUT SUBCONSCIOUSLY,

IT'S CLEAR TO ANYONE ENJOYING THIS MASTERPIECE

THAT JESUS IS THE POWERFUL CENTER OF IT ALL.

BECAUSE OF LEONARDO'S EXPERIMENTAL FRESCO TECHNIQUE,

DETERIORATION BEGAN WITHIN SIX YEARS OF ITS COMPLETION.

THE CHURCH WAS BOMBED IN WORLD WAR II,

BUT -- MIRACULOUSLY, IT SEEMED -- THE WALL

HOLDING THE LAST SUPPER REMAINED STANDING.

A RECENT RESTORATION PEELED AWAY 500 YEARS OF TOUCH-UPS,

LEAVING A FAINT YET VIBRANT MASTERPIECE.

THE ROOM DEPICTED IN THE PAINTING

SEEMS LIKE AN ARCHITECTURAL EXTENSION OF THE ACTUAL ROOM.

LEONARDO EVEN PAINTED: AS IF THE LIGHT FROM THE REAL WINDOWS

HIT THE FRESCO FROM THE SIDE.

JESUS ANTICIPATES HIS SACRIFICE --

HIS FACE IS SAD, ALL-KNOWING, AND ACCEPTING.

LIKE ANY BIG EUROPEAN CITY,

MILANO'S PUBLIC TRANSIT IS FIRST CLASS,

BUT ONLY IF YOU USE IT.

TRAMS SCREECH AND GLIDE EVERYWHERE.

THE OLD AND NEW SHARE THE WELL-WORN TRACKS.

THE MODERN UNDERGROUND: MAKES THIS SPRAWLING CITY MUCH EASIER TO MANAGE.

WHILE MOST OF THE SIGHTS ARE WITHIN WALKING DISTANCE,

YOUR DAY GOES EASIER,

ESPECIALLY IN THE HEAT OF THE SUMMER,

WHEN YOU USE THE METRO.

MILAN IS HOME: TO POSSIBLY THE WORLD'S MOST PRESTIGIOUS OPERA HOUSE --

LA SCALA.

WHILE TICKETS ARE PRICEY AND TOUGH TO GET,

ANYONE CAN VISIT THE MUSEUM,

WHICH COMES WITH A PEEK AT THE PLUSH THEATER,

OFTEN GETTING SET UP FOR THE NEXT PERFORMANCE.

SINCE IT OPENED IN 1778,

LA SCALA HAS BEEN COMMITTED TO HOSTING

THE GRANDEST OF OPERAS IN ALL THEIR INTENDED GLORY.

[ MAN SINGING ARIA ]

THE LA SCALA MUSEUM COLLECTION FEATURES THINGS

THAT MEAN ABSOLUTELY NOTHING TO THE MTV CROWD --

TOSCANINI'S EYEGLASSES,

WELL-WORN BATONS,

CARUSO'S BUST,

ORIGINAL SCORES, AND MUCH MORE.

THE HALLS ARE ALIVE WITH MEMORIES

OF THE GREAT COMPOSERS AND MUSICIANS THAT MADE THIS

THE ULTIMATE OPERA SCENE.

FOR OVER TWO CENTURIES, MILAN'S GLITTERATI

HAS ENJOYED BREATHTAKING PERFORMANCES

BY THE BIGGEST NAMES IN OPERA, FROM MARIA CALLAS

ALL THE WAY BACK TO VERDI.

GIUSEPPE VERDI WAS THE GREATEST

OF THE ROMANTIC ITALIAN OPERA COMPOSERS.

AND IN THE 19th CENTURY,

HIS NAME MEANT MORE THAN MUSIC.

HE WAS A CHAMPION OF THE ITALIAN UNIFICATION MOVEMENT.

BACK WHEN FLYING AN ITALIAN FLAG

COULD GET YOU IN TROUBLE,

VERDI'S ARIAS SERVED AS VIRTUAL NATIONAL ANTHEMS.

THE NEARBY RISORGIMENTO MUSEUM

TELLS THE STORY OF ITALY'S UNIFICATION.

IT HELPS US IMAGINE THE EXCITEMENT IN EUROPE

DURING THE MID-1800s: AS THE MODERN NATIONS OF ITALY, GERMANY,

AND OTHERS WERE BEING BORN.

BACK THEN, A FEW ROYAL FAMILIES --

SUCH AS THE HABSBURGS, BOURBONS, AND ROMANOVS --

RULED EUROPE WITHOUT REGARD TO NATIONALITY.

AND NONE OF THEM WANTED TO SEE

THE EMERGENCE OF MODERN NATION STATES.

EVEN WITHOUT REALLY UNDERSTANDING THE DETAILS,

JUST PONDERING THE STIRRING PAINTINGS HERE

MAKES IT CLEAR THERE ARE ITALIAN EQUIVALENTS

TO OUR BATTLES OF BUNKER HILL, VALLEY FORGE, AND YORKTOWN.

AFTER FOUR CENTURIES OF FOREIGN RULE,

MILAN HELPED SPEARHEAD ITALY'S ROAD TO UNITY.

STEP BY STEP -- WHETHER IN BLOODY BATTLE

OR BY POPULAR VOTE, AS WAS THE CASE IN VENICE --

ITALY WENT FROM A PENINSULA OF COLONIES

AND SMALL STATES IN 1850: TO ONE UNITED COUNTRY IN 1870.

ITALY'S HEROIC STRUGGLES WERE LED BY PATRIOTS

WHOSE NAMES ARE HOUSEHOLD WORDS TODAY.

MAZZINI -- THE INTELLECTUAL WHO SPREAD THE NOTION THAT

ITALIAN-SPEAKING PEOPLE SHOULD BE ONE NATION.

GARIBALDI -- THE GUERILLA WAR HERO

WHOSE FEISTY LITTLE ARMY OF RED SHIRTS

BROUGHT SICILY AND SOUTHERN ITALY

INTO THE FOLD.

AND VICTOR EMMANUEL -- THE ONLY ITALIAN BLOODED KING,

WHO, UPON UNIFICATION, WAS THE SLAM-DUNK FAVORITE

TO BE THE FIRST CONSTITUTIONAL MONARCH OF THE NEW ITALY.

THROUGHOUT ITALY,

THE GEORGE WASHINGTONS AND THOMAS JEFFERSONS

OF THE ITALIAN INDEPENDENCE MOVEMENT ARE CELEBRATED.

STATUES, STREETS, AND SQUARES ARE NAMED IN HONOR OF

THE FOUNDING FATHERS OF MODERN ITALY.

BUT TO BE HONEST, MOST MILANESE

SEEM OBLIVIOUS TO ALL THIS HISTORY.

THEY JUST ENJOY BEING WHO THEY ARE.

THE SPECIAL ITALIAN LOVE OF LIFE

IS EASY TO FEEL IN MILAN'S MANY FINE PARKS,

AND IN A SCENE LIKE THIS,

THE TRAVELER CAN GLIMPSE YET ANOTHER DIMENSION

OF THIS CITY, ITS PEOPLE AT PLAY.

ANOTHER FAVORITE PLACE FOR THE MILANESE

IS AN HOUR AWAY BY TRAIN.

LOMBARDY'S SEDUCTIVELY BEAUTIFUL LAKES DISTRICT,

WHERE ITALY MEETS THE ALPS,

SEEMS HEAVEN-SENT FOR COMMUNING WITH NATURE.

IN THIS LAND OF SO MANY POPULAR LAKES,

THE MILLION-EURO QUESTION IS -- WHICH ONE?

WHILE ALL THE LAKES HAVE THEIR CHARMS,

LAKE COMO IS MY FAVORITE.

IT OFFERS THE BEST MIX OF ACCESSIBILITY,

SCENERY, AND OFFBEAT-NESS

WITH A HEADY WHIFF OF ARISTOCRATIC-OLD-DAYS ROMANCE.

LAKE COMO IS LINED WITH ELEGANT 19th-CENTURY VILLAS,

CROWNED BY SNOWCAPPED MOUNTAINS

AND BUSY WITH FLEETS OF LITTLE FERRIES.

IT'S A GOOD PLACE TO TAKE A BREAK

FROM THE INTENSITY OF URBAN TURNSTILE SIGHTSEEING.

IT SEEMS HALF THE TRAVELERS YOU'LL MEET

HAVE TOSSED THEIR ITINERARIES INTO THE LAKE

AND ARE ACTUALLY RELAXING.

TODAY THE HAZY, LAZY LAKE'S ONLY SERIOUS INDUSTRY

IS TOURISM.

LAKE COMO'S ISOLATION AND FLAT ECONOMY

HAVE LEFT IT PRETTY MUCH THE WAY

19th-CENTURY ROMANTIC POETS FIRST DESCRIBED IT.

BELLAGIO, THE SELF-PROCLAIMED "PEARL OF THE LAKE,"

IS A CLASSY COMBINATION: OF OLD-WORLD ELEGANCE AND NEW WORLD LUXURY.

SPENDY FIVE-STAR HOTELS GIVE THE WELL HEELED TRAVELER

ALL THE COMFORTS THEY'RE ACCUSTOMED TO.

HARBORFRONT SHOPS ENTICE POSH TRAVELERS

WITH JEWELRY AND ACCESSORIES.

THE HEAVY CURTAINS BETWEEN THE ARCADES

KEEP THE VISITORS AND THEIR POODLES FROM SWEATING.

THE STEEP LANES RISING FROM THE HARBOR FRONT

LEAD TO A TANGLE OF SUN-SPLASHED SQUARES.

PART OF THE FUN OF YOUR LAKE VISIT

IS TOWN-HOPPING ON THE FERRIES.

FOR ME, THE IDEAL HOME BASE FOR LAGO DI COMO

IS 15 MINUTES FROM BELLAGIO -- VARENNA.

THIS TOWN OF 800 PEOPLE OFFERS THE BEST OF ALL LAKE WORLDS.

EASILY ACCESSIBLE BY TRAIN FROM MILAN,

YET ON THE LESS-DEVELOPED SIDE OF THE LAKE,

VARENNA HAS A ROMANTIC PROMENADE...

A TINY HARBOR...

AND NARROW LANES.

THESE BUILDINGS ARE STRINGENTLY PROTECTED.

YOU CAN'T EVEN CHANGE THE COLOR OF YOUR HOME

WITHOUT ASKING PERMISSION.

THERE ARE NO STREETS IN THE OLD TOWN,

JUST CHARACTERISTIC STEPPED LANES.

IT'S AN IDEAL PLACE TO SAVOR: A LAKESIDE CAPPUCCINO OR APERITIVO.

IMAGINE THIS SLEEPY HARBOR 200 YEARS AGO.

IT WAS BUSY.

THERE WERE COOPERS CRAFTING OAKEN CHESTNUT INTO BARRELS,

STONEWORKERS CARVING AND SHIPPING

VARENNA'S PRIZED BLACK MARBLE,

AND FISHING BOATS DRAGGED UP ONTO THIS COBBLED BEACH.

MANY LAKE COMO TOWNS HAVE A VILLA OR TWO,

WITH THEIR DILAPIDATED 19th-CENTURY ELEGANCE

AND WISTFUL GARDENS OPEN TO THE PUBLIC,

AND EVEN TRANSFORMED INTO INVITING HOTELS.

IN VARENNA, THE SPRAWLING LAKESIDE VILLA CIPRESSI

RENTS ROOMS AND WELCOMES VISITORS -- FOR A SMALL FEE --

TO EXPLORE ITS PEACEFUL TERRACED GARDEN.

ALBERGO MILANO, LOCATED RIGHT IN THE OLD TOWN,

IS THE KIND OF PLACE I LIKE TO RECOMMEND IN MY GUIDEBOOKS.

IT'S GRACIOUSLY RUN BY EGIDIO

AND HIS SWISS WIFE, BETTINA.

FUSING THE BEST OF ITALY WITH THE BEST OF SWITZERLAND,

THE PLACE MANAGES TO BE BOTH ROMANTIC AND VERY WELL-RUN.

MOST OF ITS COMFY ROOMS OFFER DREAMY LAKE VIEWS.

AND EGIDIO IS A FINE CHEF.

THE LIMITED MENU CHANGES DAILY,

ACCORDING TO THE SEASON AND THE CHEF'S WHIM.

VARENNA WHISPERS LUNA DI MIELE, "HONEYMOON."

AND A GOOD PLACE TO ENJOY THAT ROMANCE IS

STROLLING ALONG ITS PASSERELLA.

YOU'LL PASS WISTERIA-DRENCHED VILLAS,

EVOCATIVE VISTAS,

AND LAKESIDE LOVERS EMBRACING THE MOMENT.

IT'S PLACES LIKE THIS: WHERE I REALLY FEEL THE ROMANCE OF EUROPE.

I HOPE YOU'VE ENJOYED OUR LOOK AT MILANO AND LAGO DI COMO.

I'M RICK STEVES, MISSING MY WIFE MORE THAN EVER.

UNTIL NEXT TIME, KEEP ON TRAVELING.

CIAO.