La Vita alla Milanese

Only an hour after I finished my last fall semester exam on Thursday, I was headed to Newark airport with the rest of my Italian seminar (since down time is for the weak). We arrived in Milan on Friday morning, and checked into a lovely four star hotel (thanks, Princeton!) in the neighborhood near the Stazione Centrale, coincidentally enough on the exact same street I stayed on two weeks ago. The first thing I did in Milan was to break one of my cardinal rules of travel–I napped for 5 hours. Usually I subscribe to the theory that jet-lag is best avoided by staying up and going to bed at a normal time in the new time zone, but this time I just couldn’t resist.

La Scala opera house

La Scala opera house

Five hours later, I struggled out of bed, along with my fellow napping classmates, tried to put on something classy-looking and headed out for a night “alla Milanese”, at La Scala, the famous opera house, where we saw a performance of Verdi’s Rigoletto. Our seats were far, far up in the Galleria, basically the furthest away seats that can be bought, but we still were able to see the stage fairly well, especially if we stood up occasionally. And in front of our seats, tiny screens displayed the words being sung, either in Italian or an English translation to make it easier to follow along and understand the plot. I certainly didn’t expect it to be disappointing, but I was still surprised how much I enjoyed the show–the costumes and sets were exquisite as well as the singers, and the plot was fairly fast-paced.

in La Scala…just before they told me not to take photos

Overall an unforgettably impressive night on the town. During the two thirty-minute intermissions we were able to mingle and buy drinks with the other opera-goers (many of whom were wearing their furs). It felt like quite a local night in the city of fashion, and a cocktail afterward across the street from the hotel finished it off, ensuring that I got a restful 8 hours of sleep, even after the long nap.

This entry was posted in Italy, Milan, Think and tagged , , , , , , . Bookmark the permalink.

One Response to La Vita alla Milanese

  1. Claudette Moniz says:

    Boy, how much fun can you have? Does it ever stop? You have travelled abroad more than anyone I know. I am so happy for you, Hannah. Keep having fun.
    Love, Grandma