Milan Photography - M1key - Michal Huniewicz
Off We Go!
Leaving London!
ISO 100, 70mm, f/5.0, 1/250s.
Our New Home
Luca offered us his place in central Milan.
ISO 100, 24mm, f/5.0, 1/60s.
Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II
This is the oldest active shopping mall in Italy, and it opened in 1877. [
1]
ISO 100, 70mm, f/6.3, 1/125s.
In the Park
One of Milan's parks.
ISO 100, 50mm, f/2.8, 1/1250s.
Porta Sempione
The Arco della Pace (Arch of Peace) is from the 19th century, too, but its origins can be traced back to a gate of the Roman walls of Milan. [
2]
ISO 100, 24mm, f/2.8, 1/4000s.
Intricate
Intricate design on one of the churches.
ISO 100, 24mm, f/2.8, 1/800s.
Santa Maria delle Grazie
Santa Maria delle Grazie ("Holy Mary of Grace") is a church and Dominican convent in Milan, northern Italy, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. [
3]
ISO 1000, 24mm, f/2.8, 1/50s.
Altar
Now, the church is much older, and takes us back to the Italian Renaissance. Duke Ludovico Sforza decided to have the church serve as the Sforza family burial site, and rebuilt the cloister and the apse, both completed after 1490. [
3]
ISO 250, 24mm, f/2.8, 1/50s.
Candles
Italian Renaissance peaked in the 15th and 16th centuries, and propelled Europe from the Dark Ages to Modernity. [
4]
ISO 360, 24mm, f/2.8, 1/50s.
Admiring
The Renaissance began in Tuscany (Central Italy), and was centred in the city of Florence. Florence, one of the several city-states of the peninsula, rose to economic prominence by providing credit for European monarchs and laying down the groundwork for capitalism and banking. [
4]
ISO 1100, 38mm, f/2.8, 1/50s.
Nativity
Famously, the Italian Renaissance was itself born out of (or at least further advanced by) instability and war - see the Italian Wars. The age of discovery began, with Italians working for foreign powers (like Columbus working for the Spanish) or foreigners learning in Italy (like Copernicus).
ISO 2200, 48mm, f/2.8, 1/50s.
Cross
Many thinkers of the time, to the terror of the Catholic Church, rejected dogma and scholasticism - Galileo, Machiavelli, Giordano Bruno, and Pico della Mirandola among them.
ISO 640, 70mm, f/3.2, 1/50s.
Squashed
Posing lessons.
ISO 100, 24mm, f/3.2, 1/2500s.
Santa Maria
A courtyard within the church.
ISO 200, 24mm, f/3.2, 1/50s.
Last Supper
The church contains the mural of The Last Supper by Leonardo da Vinci, which is in the refectory of the convent. The painting was exposed to the elements after the Second World War, and is in a bad state. If you're curious what the Last Supper looked like back when it was painted by Leonardo da Vinci, there's a great
documentary that tries to find out. It may well inspire you to travel.
ISO 1400, 70mm, f/3.2, 1/50s.
God
Wonderful blue sky painted in another church.
ISO 3200, 24mm, f/3.2, 1/50s.
Orange
Orange courtyard.
ISO 5600, 24mm, f/3.2, 1/50s.
Darkness
Arch shadow visible in a church. We got our Gothic arches from the Arabs following the Crusades.
ISO 100, 44mm, f/3.2, 1/320s.
Hidden
Some sort of secret stash.
ISO 5600, 24mm, f/3.2, 1/50s.
Bosco Verticale
Bosco Verticale (Vertical Forest) is a pair of residential towers in the Porta Nuova district of Milan.
ISO 100, 52mm, f/3.2, 1/1250s.
Plants
They have a height of 111 metres and 76 metres and contain more than 900 trees (approximately 550 and 350 in the first and second towers, respectively) on 8,900 square metres of terraces. [
5]
ISO 100, 55mm, f/6.3, 1/125s.
Dzinman
In front of the leaves.
ISO 100, 70mm, f/2.8, 1/160s.
Central Station
Milano Centrale railway station is the largest railway station in Europe by volume.
ISO 180, 56mm, f/2.8, 1/50s.
Fascist
This is actually Fascist architecture!
ISO 100, 24mm, f/2.8, 1/1000s.
Umbrella
It then started to rain.
ISO 100, 24mm, f/2.8, 1/400s.
Civil Ensign
"The flag of Italy with a shield divided into four squares representing the four Maritime Republics: Venice (represented by the Lion of St. Mark, top left), Genoa (top right), Amalfi (bottom left), and Pisa (represented by their respective crosses). The ensign is similar to the one used by the Italian Navy, with the exception that the lion of Venice is carrying no sword, the emblem is not crowned, and the book of the Gospel is open." [
6]
ISO 100, 24mm, f/2.8, 1/5000s.
Luca
Luca inside the boat - this is Lake Como.
ISO 100, 70mm, f/5.0, 1/320s.
Lake Como
Lake Como is a lake of glacial origin in Lombardy, and it's the fifth deepest lake in Europe. [
7]
ISO 100, 70mm, f/5.0, 1/1000s.
Marina
Lake Como has been a popular retreat for aristocrats and wealthy people since Roman times.
ISO 100, 34mm, f/5.0, 1/500s.
Parrocchia di S. Tecla
A church by the lake.
ISO 2200, 24mm, f/5.0, 1/50s.
By the Lake
Relaxing by the lake.
ISO 100, 70mm, f/2.8, 1/1000s.
7
Typical buildings around Lake Como. We were told that because of many high profile inhabitants - celebrities who bought property here - the prices were extremely high, and the regular life of these towns has all but disappeared.
ISO 200, 58mm, f/7.1, 1/50s.
Overlooking Lake Como
We spoke to a local person who told me that he had not remembered the weather being so extreme ever in his several decades by the lake.
ISO 100, 35mm, f/7.1, 1/250s.
Plants
A path by a wall.
ISO 125, 24mm, f/8.0, 1/50s.
Dog
Dog guarding property.
ISO 100, 58mm, f/2.8, 1/1000s.
Attenzione
Directions for dogs are quite clear!
ISO 100, 24mm, f/4.5, 1/640s.
European Flag
I was pleased to find a European flag fluttering in the wind.
ISO 100, 35mm, f/4.5, 1/250s.
Haze
Our guide who described the Last Supper to us said it's entirely possible that this landscape is what taught Leonardo the technique of representing distant objects as hazy.
ISO 100, 200mm, f/5.6, 1/500s.
From Above
A drone selfie.
ISO 100, 4mm, f/2.6, 1/640s.
Cat
A cat hunting in a garden.
ISO 100, 70mm, f/3.5, 1/400s.
Palm Trees
Palm trees by the lake.
ISO 100, 48mm, f/3.5, 1/1250s.
Statue
A statue in a garden by the lake.
ISO 100, 48mm, f/2.8, 1/1000s.
Bellagio
Bellagio seen from my drone.
ISO 100, 4mm, f/2.6, 1/800s.
Monks
A sculpture of monks in prayer.
ISO 1800, 24mm, f/2.8, 1/50s.
Take Me to the Crypt
Relics.
ISO 2000, 70mm, f/2.8, 1/50s.
Duomo
The fifth largest church in the world - Milan Cathedral. It took six centuries to complete. [
8]
ISO 220, 24mm, f/8.0, 1/50s.
Flying Buttresses
Being a mix of styles, it has caused some controversy. "A structure not supremely interesting, not logical, not ... commandingly beautiful, but grandly curious and superbly rich. ... If it had no other distinction it would still have that of impressive, immeasurable achievement ... a supreme embodiment of vigorous effort." [
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ISO 100, 70mm, f/2.8, 1/1000s.
St Bartholomew
A statue of St Bartholomew, one of the twelve apostles of Jesus according to the New Testament. According to legends he was skinned alive and beheaded, hence he's here without his skin. [
9]
ISO 720, 70mm, f/2.8, 1/50s.
From Above
We reached the top of a distopian building for me to take this photo. I was told off, as it wasn't allowed, apparently.
ISO 100, 24mm, f/2.8, 1/3200s.
Intellectual's Apartment
This is Luca's little flat - where we stayed for a couple of nights. It's the ultimate intellectual's apartment in central Milan, walls of books, old paintings and etching decorating the few blank spaces, Indian and Iranian embroidery and carpets. Scenes from China and Istanbul. Couple of photos Luca himself took. I took this shot after we returned from a Neapolitan dinner nearby - the chef emerged from the depths of the kitchen to advise us on our choice, and then brought a special cake that wasn't on the menu...
Anyway, the picture is taken from a small platform where Luca wrote his books, and on the other side of the wall the bed hangs, supported by metal frames. No space was wasted in this charming home, and everything spoke volumes of Luca's experiences and adventures, both those in the realm of geography as well as intellect. It was a great privilege for us to be able to stay there, and its almost naval cosiness gave me a few ideas on how to decorate my own home, too. There was a thunderstorm that night, and I found Moby Dick on the shelves - a book Luca recommended me a while back. The time had come to plan future adventures.
ISO 400, 14mm, f/5.0, 1/2s.