Day Trips (a short recap)

Lago Como
My first expedition from "base camp" (via Giovenale 4) was to Lake Como. Northern Lombardia is famous for "Milan and the Lakes." Milan lies near the foot of the Alps and the finger-like lakes carved out of them. The most famous of these lakes is Lake Como. About an hour away from Milan, the upside down "y" shaped Como is one of the most beautiful lakes in the world (wouldn't a Minnesotan know? ;). Cat and I took the train to Como (town) which lies at the southern tip of Lake Como. After walking around the marina and the delicious outdoor food market, we stopped at Volta's villa and stared in awe at the idyllic setting (mountains, water, villas, swans, etc.). After resting for a while, we took the first "veloce" (high speed) ferry for Bellano (another city on the lake). In fact, because of tourism, Lake Como has a highly developed ferry system for the lake. You could go town hopping for a whole day if you wanted! We stopped briefly in Bellagio- the casino was named after the town. Once in Bellano, we took another ferry to Colico, the northernmost town on the lake. The most extraodinary thing about Lake Como is the mountain scenery. We were in the Alps, but on an immense lake! As we headed north, the views only improved. When we finally reached Colico, we were within sight of the Swiss border. We spent a few minutes in Colico (an Italian town with Swiss flavor) and jumped right on the next ferry back to Como. All the towns along Lake Como are so picturesque. They all have beautiful waterfronts with quaint piazzas and cramped medieval streets. Some of the Italians spend weekends at the lake enjoying water activities, but many of the Italians we saw lived there (how lucky). For instance, the last stop on our ferry before Colico was Piona. The Piona stop didn't even have a ticket booth but our ferry almost emptied. It turns out that Piona is the site of a medieval church and monastery and most of the riders were commuting to mass. Amazing. In effect, our tour of Lake Como was a 4 hour ferry tour of the lake with some walking included.

for those of you who were going to ask- No, I didn't see George Clooney or his house. Sorry!

San Siro
I stood in line for over 5 hours to get a ticket to the most important soccer match in all of Italy- the Milan Derby. The Milan Derby is one of the most famous soccer rivalries in the whole world. Internazionale and AC Milan have been fighting each other for over a 100 years (ever since Inter separated from Milan in 1901). Now, this high intensity rivalry showcases one of the most famous soccer stadiums in the world (San Siro), some of the most famous soccer players in the world (Kaka, Ibra, Ronaldinho, Gattuso, Matterazzi, etc.), two of the best teams in Italy, and 80,000 crazy fans.

Every since my great friend Jesse introduced me to European soccer, I have been an AC Milan "tifoso." Even last summer, while I was traveling Italy, hotel managers would call me Kaka because I look like the Rossoneri's star player. As a huge sports fan, this was one match I could not miss.

In preparation for the match, I went to the local AC Milan store and bought my officially licensed apparel. At the Milan Point, I ran into Diego and Andrew (two friends of mine from Bocconi). We promised to go to the game together the next day. 3 hours before game time, we took the subway to the San Siro. We entered the the stadium 2 hours before the game started and, after Andrew walked around the stadium from his assigned seating, we staked out good spots in the 3rd Red level. To our left (and behind protective glass) were the Inter fans. To our right were the Milan ultras. Across from us, beyond the stadium, one could see the beautifully lit Duomo of Milan. The excitement was palpable and addictive. Andrew, Diego, and I were shouting chants at the Inter fans 1.5 hours before the game began! It would be difficult for me to explain an Italian soccer match, so I have included a video of the game.

Amazing, right? A few notes about the video. Yes, I was singing "We will rock you" and "Milan, Milan." A bit embarrassing, but necessary to the video. As crazy as the video seems, it was even crazier in person. When Kaka crossed the ball perfectly into Ronaldinho (who promptly headed it into the corner), the stadium started shaking. The second half was full of close calls for Milan and I was on the edge of my seat yelling at poor calls and cheering the ejection of two Inter players. When the ref finally blew the whistle to end the match, the crowd erupted into a frenzied celebration. The experience just overwhelmed my senses. The pyrotechnics, the signs, the flags, the chanting, the whistling- it was incredible. Even after the game, the opposing, tireless fans were challenging each other to parking lot brawls.

Returning to the dorm from the match, I felt like I had become a true "Milanese."

Cinque Terre
Two Sundays ago, I FINALLY got to go to Cinque Terre. On the Ligurian Coast (Italian Riviera), Cinque Terre (Five Lands) is one of the most beautiful coastlines of Italy- rivaling Sicilia and Amalfi. Early Sunday morning, Rory, Analise, Stephanie, Cat, Caroline, and I boarded our train. 3 hours later, we were on the coast!

Cinque Terre is a beautifully preserved stretch of coastline that includes 5 towns (hence, Cinque) and the National Park that links them. It's very easy to access the park, thanks to an 8E train and park pass. Once inside the park, you can explore the towns and/or explore the trails linking them. After arriving at Riomaggiore, we quickly started our hike north up the coast. The hiking trails are the true gems of the Cinque Terre. The trails literally hang off of the cliffs. They differ in length and difficulty, but we made good time. In all, we hiked between 4 of the towns (Riomaggiore->Vernazza) in less than 3 hours.

Each of the towns had unique sights in addition to their sleepy fishing village atmosphere. Corniglia was located several hundred steps up from the coast (like walking up the tallest medieval tower). In Monterosso, fisherman pulled their boats up into the town's main piazza because there isn't room anywhere else. Perhaps the most memorable image was of Vernazza stretching out into the sea with its tower standing guard.

Running a little short on time, we took the train from Vernazza to Monterosso (a 2 hour hike became a 5 minute train ride). In Monterosso, we wandered around the gelaterias, the church, and the piazza full of small fishing boats. A cheap train ticket put us on the slow train back to Milan, arriving at 11pm. Not wanting to do homework, I procrastinated by watching videos on Rory's ipod. Thanks Rory!