Lovely courtyards in Milan

Milan is like a very reticent, beautiful, stately and mature woman.

The outside may be discreet, but the inside, oh so lovely...More......

Once a year, FAI-Fondo Ambiente Italiano asks private and public entities and people to open up their historic structures and gardens that usually are closed to the public. In addition, they also open their own structures, generally open to the public.

It's a way to highlight the wondrous cultural and artistic patrimony of Italy, and to call attention to the desperate need to maintain and preserve it: FAI's reason for existence.

So, look up the FAI web site, and, if you love Italian culture, sign up. The basic monthly membership doesn't cost much, and--especially if you're in Italy--has good benefits: free entrance to their properties, the fast entrance lane during those hectic show-and-tell days, and discounts on other non-FAI museum and cultural activities.

I snapped this sunny courtyard in the Brera area of Milan during FAI's May 2005 open days.

Enjoy!