Like dogs and cats? 7-8 June "Paws" festival!

This scruffily cute Fido isn't too sure he wants to be on the tram, but you can take him, anyway, to the "Quattro zampe in fiera" (Four Paws in a Trade Fair) in the neighboring city of Novegro, pretty easily reached with public transportation....More......

As the organizers say, 'it's not a competition, it's a chance for dog lovers to get together, share their experiences and buy stuff.' This last point crucial to the continuing success of the event, of course.

All in Italian, but there's fun stuff to be experienced: free dog school lessons, a dog dance, dog agility, retrieving, lots of cat breeds to discover, seminars, a red carpet area for special viewings and...a restaurant where you and Fido and Fluffy can eat, together.

The entrance fee is E. 10, online pre-sale E. 6; kids, dogs and cats enter free-of-charge.
Saturday hours: 10 AM to 8 PM
Sunday hours: 9 AM to 7 PM

To go with public transportation (BEWARE, you'll need the regular ticket AND the supplement), take the 73 to the Linate Airport, then take either the 923 (direction: H.S. Raffaele, i.e., S. Raffaele Hospital) or the 930 (direction: Peschiera Borromeo) for just a few stops, and get off at the Via Novegro/Parco Esposizioni stop, then walk the short distance down via Novegro to the entrance. (These two last busses go only once a half an hour [!], so check the ATM web site for departure times, or you might even want to hoof it, I'm guessing that it would take about 15 minutes on foot.)

Quattro zampe in fiera

Parco Esposizioni Novegro
Via Novegro (no street number), Segrate
tel. 02 70200022

Thinking of going by car? The parking fee at the nearby official parking lot is E. 2.50 for all day. BEWARE of the illegal and unofficial parking farther from the center and more costly. For a map, go here.

I snapped Fido on the 2nd of March of this year.

Enjoy!

Teaser satisfied...finally

Remember the adorble teaser I posted last month?...More......

I wanted to share the wonderful day I had with my sweet friend, D., (thanks!) at the C.I.R.-Cento Ippico San Romanello, a lovely and well-kept riding stables on the outskirts of Milan, the owner of which gave me repeated verbal permission to take all the photos I wanted to take, and to put them on my blog...thanks, guys!

At the same time, I wanted to be able to tell you how to have permission to ride there, too. It didn't make sense to get you all charged up about the place, then to have you find out that riding, there, wouldn't be possible.

I'll tell you right up front...they're not set up either for English-speakers, or for non-Italians.

Why are those two things different, here?

There is the language problem, of course, but there's also a problem of bureaucracy...surprise, surprise.

I had to jump through lots of hoops to get this info (pun intended!). Finally, I spoke on the phone with a young woman of FISE-Federazione Italiana Sports Equine, who told me that the references to "Italians" in the rules for horseback riding in Italy apply to non-Italians, as well, and sent me back to the web site in Italian, by which time I was frantically busy with work, so making a summary of it in English for you had to wait...'til today! (All efforts have been made to make the summary in English as accurate as possible; consult the original or the entities in question for further information; using the information provided, you recognize that the translations are not official, that it is your responsibility to get official information, and that you do not hold me responsible in any way for the information, herein.)

For your safety and the safety of the horse and the other riders and horses, you can't just yell "tally ho!," and jump on the first horse to pass your way, like the Lone Ranger, or Zoro. You need some learning and practice, but don't be discouraged. There are promotional and temporary passes for agritourism and for riding at a school/stables that can be released directly by the Italian entity in question.

Let's look at what you'll need for "for fun" riding that needs a one-time promotional, a temporary, or an annual "A" type permit. Riding in competitions needs other certificates that have stricter rules, and if you're riding in competitions, you're already introduced into the world of horseback riding, so you don't need these hints. All that I have to say, here, is for those of you wanting to ride for fun, or maybe just to try it, once, to see what it's like.

To go horseback riding in Italy, you'll need two official medical certificates: (1) a certificate that you are of healthy and robust constitution, and (2) that you've had an anti-tetanus vaccination. If the person wanting to ride is handicapped, semi-blind, blind, or has Downs' syndrome, special medical exams and certificates are required. When minors are involved, written permission from the parent, or guardian, also is required. Unspoken, but obvious, you'll need a form of personal identification with a photo. Italians need to bring their "codice fiscale," which is the Italian equivalent of the American SSN-Social Security Number; whatever number your country uses to identify you beautiful you, bring that, too.

You'll need to have it all translated into Italian...don't use your neighbor's husband's cousin's secretary's nephew's brother-in-law's grandson's hamster! Look up official and reliable translation services, for the few pieces of paper you'll need, it won't be expensive.

Promotional permit: released by the local official entity for ONE promotional non-competition lesson; valid for 2 months, but can be issued only once per solar year; the acquisition of the full type "A" license in the same solar year as the promotional permission entitles the card-bearer to a 50% discount on the cost of the type "A" permit.

Temporary permit (the "horse tourism" permit has just about exactly the same requirements): released for equine tourism, or for non-competitive learning, by the local official entity, the agri-tourism, or the tourism entities, or by those belonging to FISE-Federazione Italiana Sport Equestri; the rules for the age of the rider are not clearly written, but presumably they mean "minimum" when specifying the age of 4, and there is no maximum age listed; for riders from 4 - 8 years of age calculated on the birthdays the permission is for mounting only ponies; valid for 60 days, it can be renewed during the solar year of emission.

Type "A": annual permit released for non-competitive riding by the local official association; for handicapped, minimum age 8 (no maximum listed); other specifications apply for other activities.

All the above apply to children, too. They can start riding for fun from the age of 4 and up, but may ride only ponies until they are 8.

These rules apply to all stables and agritourism entities belonging to FISE. There are at least a handful of stables in Milan. C.I.R. (closed Mondays) has classes for adults, youngsters and handicapped riders, all in Italian, of course. They have two outdoor riding areas, one with jumps,...

...and a large indoor riding area.

The clubhouse has a bar and a rustic loungeroom, and there are two shaded outdoor areas to rest and wait.

To go to C.I.R. (closed Mondays; they also have classes for handicapped riders, but everything is in Italian), get yourself to the MM1 De Angeli stop, and take the bus 72 or 72/ in the direction of the Cimitero Maggiore / Molino Dorino. Get off 17 stops later at the via Togni-Via Romanello stop, then walk 50 meters to the entrance.

Summertime classes and protective helmets, vests and boots are available. For those boarding their own horses, each stall entitles the holder to a saddle box.

Personally, I was impressed with how well they treated the animals and...

...how clean and nice the place was, and, chatting with some of the horse riders (or parents thereof), I learned that they were very happy about the professionalism and cleanliness of the place, too. For information about prices, contact C.I.R., directly.

So, there it is, the scoop on horseback riding in Milan and Italy for fun and/or for agritourism. As usual, but I'd rather mention it for clarity's sake: I get no kickbacks of any kind for presenting this info to you.

Enjoy!

Teaser

June 10, six-legged running race sponsored by Advantix: pant through 5 km with man's best friend

Got a dog? Like to run? (you, not the dog, it probably does), then Sempione Park on the 10th of June is for you...More......

Starting at 11 A.M. in Sempione Park, you and your furry pal can register for the race. Events begin at 2 P.M., the race itself at 4 P.M., prizes at 6 P.M., and, exhausted but happy, 'weeeee, weeeeee, weeeeee all the way home' by 6:30 P.M., in time to rest up for Monday's return to work.

The proceeds from this charity race will go to buy a 'water bike' for the Italian School for Rescue Dogs.

Want more info? Here it is (sigh, only in Italian): http://www.provincia.milano.it/diritti_animali/attivita/Appuntamenti/anno2012.html

Enjoy!

Don't look a gift horse in the mouth

"Uhhh...thanks...you shouldn't have...really.... Pssst, what are we going to do with it?"

That probably captures the real comments of Milan's city council members when presented with...More......

... this super gigantic bronze sculpture (the base comes up to about my chest, and I'm fairly tall) purporting to reproduce the horse that Leonardo da Vinci would have produced for the commemorative equestrian sculpture depicting Francesco Sforza, which originally was intended for the area between the city and the Sforza Castle.

In my previous message with info on the horse (see http://mymilanitaly.blogspot.com/2011/06/photoless-friday-15-aida-and-notre-dame.html), I sanctimoniously stated that the Americans didn't understand that it wasn't really Leonardo's horse.

I stand corrected.

Apparently, the Italians in charge of San Siro don't understand either: there are big banners touting "Leonardo's horse" all over the front of the gallop stadium (as opposed to the trotting stadium) in front of which the statue has been perched.

Spurious, or hypothetical, it's still interesting to see, and a trip out to the horse races might be fun, anyway, since the 1920s structures by Paolo Vietti-Violi are delightful. (Took a peek at the posted rates for getting in to follow the races: men E. 5, women E. 1 ... now why is that? So few women go to the races that they want to encourage them to come? For more info on the racing, go to: http://www.ippodromimilano.it/ ... an English version is available by clicking on the link in the upper middle right.)

So...how to get there?

Get yourself to Piazzale Lotto. Various busses go, but since the numbers may change it's not helpful to cite them. There is a Lotto stop on the red number 1 metro (subway) line, too. The subway exits all seem to be on the opposite side of the piazza from the direction that you need to go. Get above ground, and look for trees. There's a snippet of park next to the entrance of the Lido di Milano, a 1930s historic sport center with a city-owned pool, tennis courts, etc. You'll need to walk along the park next to the Lido on Via Caprilli. (For Lido entrance info in Italian: http://www.milanosport.it/intranet/MILANOSPOR/Impianti/LIDO1/index.htm)

Across the street from where the little park stops Via Ciprilli continues along a grafitti-covered stuccoed brick wall enclosing the race track grounds.

Keep following the graffiti-covered wall for about 10 minutes to this adorable little entrance.

It was open today, Sunday, even when there were no races to give access to the little pizzeria tucked into the right hand end of the secondary stands (the one with the horse sculpture in front). If you're able to go when there are races it will be easier to get closer to the horse.

Enjoy!

(I took these photos around 2:30-3 P.M. today for your personal non-commercial enjoyment.)

The fun of giving love gifts

Time is money, in Milan as elsewhere. My most precious gift, which I often deny myself...More......

This year, I finally put my thoughts and my hands together.

I've seen the hen theme at the house of dear friends, who kindly invited us to dinner while my husband was still alive, and even more kindly still invite me now that he's gone, though still present, somehow, for which I'm very grateful (for the invites and for my dear sweetie's continued presence).

The thought to make the lady of the house (who's a wonderful cook) a stuffed hen for her collection always came to mind while there, but fled into dark dusty forgotten corners with the whirlwind that was life.

This year, the thought and my hands came together in the couple of days' lull between the end of a very heavy project and the appointed lunch hour.

First, the drawing, then cutting out the various bits, and...






...sewing the bits into workable larger pieces, including a gusset for the plump tummy (I'm quite proud of that!).




Finally, the assembled hen--with a tiny yellow beak and two big wattles--on her way to her new home!




I'm not so sure Italians appreciate handmade gifts. They're not very crafty, themselves, which is quite surprising given their renowned and well-deserved ability and creativity as craftsmen (and craftswomen...craftspeople...craftspersons...oh crap). At least the Milanese I know. Anyway, the poor little dear was welcomed, if without resounding fanfare, and we'll see if she makes it into any place visibile (though it will be hard to tell...if they don't like her, they may stick her away some place, and just drag her out the time, or two, a year that I go). I hope she sees more light of day than that.

Enjoy!

Horses in Milan, yeah!

Who doesn't love horses?

What little girl, or boy, didn't want a horse? (Me included.)

In just a couple of weeks, there will be a horse fair in Milan, and I wanted to give you plenty of warning, so you can arrange your schedules (and that of your kids?!), and go!...More......

From the 13th to the 16th, it will be held at Milan's newish trade and convention center (called the "Nuovo polo fieristico") just outside Milan in the northwest suburb Rho-Pero (not to be confused with the old trade and convention center called the "Fiera" in Milan, itself; most of the area has been re-purposed, as is so fashionable to say, these days: a work-in-progress urban requalification).

Driving there? The address is: Strada Statale del Sempione, 28, 20017 Rho (MI) (look it up yourself in Google maps for how to get there from where you are).

Don't drive? Not to fear! Though out of Milan, the New Fiera is very easy to get to. Take the red/#1 'metro' (subway) line to "Rho Fiera Milano."

Want a map and metro indications? Hoping that such a long link works, here is the link to the ATM GIROMILANO indications from the Duomo to Rho Fiera Milano on the official ATM web site.

There's only one catch: since it's in the suburbs (as the Milanese say, with a touch of their Austrian past lingering, "hinterland"), you have to pay a supplement in addition to the standard metro ticket. Get the tickets from a vending machine, and you'll be stuck wondering which of the various options to choose. Go talk to a real person, whether a third party vendor (such as the newspaper stands, or tobacconists), or directly to the source, ATM ticket windows (under the Duomo and under the Central Train Station, for instance).

As long as I'm on a roll, here's the English web site (yeah!) for the 'New Fiera,' in case you'd like to check it out. ("Why?!," you ask? Because, while scheduling your trip to Milan, if you can avoid any of the periods with a convention of any sort going on, you'll have less trouble finding a hotel room and getting a taxi, that's why.) http://www.fierarhopero.com/index.asp?LNG=ENG

But back to the horses. Since the web site of the horse trading fair http://www.cavalliamilano.it/ doesn't have a version in English (booo! How do they expect to be international without at least a page of general information in English!), here are some details for those of you, who don't speak Italian, but might like to go.

On the 15th, at 8:30 P.M. there will be 'one of the biggest dressage events in Italy.' Don't know what dressage is? That's the show of collaboration between horse and rider in which the horse is put through its paces, going backwards, sideways, etc., etc., etc. Don't expect a thrilling rodeo show, it seems veddddddy Enggggglish, but it is lovely, and pretty amazing how these huge creatures can be so delicate and light on their feet. Amazing gorgeous animals (to which humankind owes a great deal...so let's be kind, and help them survive!).

On the 16th at 3 P.M., there will be 'the jumping competition with the biggest monetary prize in Italy.' Now that *is* exciting!

Entrance fee at the gate (gulp!) for any of the days is a whopping E. 18 (eeee gads! No wonder it's the biggest monetary prize in Italy!). Kids up to the age of 12 get in free.

Want more info than this? Try contacting the organizer, IL MIO CASTELLO CAVALLI, directly: Il Mio Castello Cavalli S.r.l. - Via Feltre, 28/6 - 20132 Milano - Tel. +39.02.27086315 +39.02.27086315 - Fax +39.02.87365855 - info@cavalliamilano.it

Finally, God forbid I inadvertantly transgress any copyright laws, even in giving them this free publicity, so instead of one of their photos of their horses, here's a detail of a snap I shot on the 23rd of May, 2011, around 11:20 A.M. of one of the equestrian statues atop the Stazione Centrale.

Enjoy!

Photoless Friday (25): Butterflies!

Hurry hurry!

Until the 30th of August at the city's principal public garden, the Giardini pubblici, you can admire more than 50 kinds of butterflies from all over the world in a special pavilion.

The main entrance to the Giardini pubblici is on Piazza Cavour; entrances also on via Palestro and Corso di Porta Venezia. I think the pavilion is just behind the Natural History Museum, and so would be closer to these latter entrances.

From Tuesday to Friday: 3:30 P.M. - 6 P.M.
Saturday and Sunday: from 10:30 A.M. til 1 P.M., then again from 2 P.M. to 6:30 P.M.

Entrance fee E.5 (children up to and including the age of 4 enter free-of-charge)

For more information: http://www.oasidellefarfalle.it, tel. 393.513.3679

Too much excitement for one afternoon?

Recover at the "Caffè Letterario" located inside the gorgeous 15th century cloisters now housing the Teatro Grassi at the centrally located via Rovello, 2, almost at the corner of via Dante.

For more information: +39.72.333.505, http://www.sotisevents.com.

Enjoy!

A Lion Motif Corbel on the Palazzo dei Giureconsulti

The Palazzo dei Giureconsulti (the 16th century building for the magistrate body) has an interesting history. First off, it's one of the sides of the piazza (which used to be completely enclosed by its own walls with gates, like a little fortress) surrounding the Broletto...More......

...which deserves a later post all of its own.

I've mentioned some factoids about the Palazzo, before, in the post about the statue of St. Ambrose on its façade(http://mymilanitaly.blogspot.com/2010/11/monuments-st-ambrose-takes-place-of.html#0), so go there for the skinny.

Here, instead, is a detail of a lion motif corbel on the façade, which I turned into a diagram for those of you, who love to do needlepoint and cross-stitch (see my Ars actupicturae stellae - Star's Needlepoint Art: http://arsacupicturaestellae.blogspot.com/2011/08/milan-monday-37-another-lion.html).

I snapped this shot on the 8th of July, 2011, at about 1:30 P.M. for your personal, non-commercial enjoyment.

Wordless Wednesday (23)

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Wings to carry you through the new week: Pegasus

Need some wings to carry you through the new week?

Here are some gorgeous ones in Milan...More......

...atop the Stazione Centrale, about which I've already written: http://mymilanitaly.blogspot.com/2011/05/more-lions-this-time-winged.html#0.

Two figures of Pegasus each with a monumental male figure, which remind one of the Dioscuri (Castor and Pollux), perch on the two upper outer corners of the station's façade. Getting a closer peek at it with my zoom makes me realize that, while the male figure obviously is Michelangelesque, the horse just might be inspired by another of Milan's wonderful sculptures: the equestrian monument of Bernabò Visconti (quite a character, quite a sculpture, both deserving of their own posts).

This is one of my favorite images in all of Milan. I snapped it with you in mind on the 23rd of May, 2011, at about 11:15 A.M.

If you'd like this image in a needlepoint/cross-stitch diagram, see my other blog: Ars acupicturae stellae - Star's Needlepoint Art: http://arsacupicturaestellae.blogspot.com/2011/06/milan-monday-34-wings-for-your-new-week.html

Enjoy!

Another marvelous lion...door knocker

Milan is full of lions, once you start looking (I know, I know, and not just Milan). This one, holding a serpent in its mouth, is a doorknocker set into a fan-shaped cockle shell. The lovely door is on via Mascheroni.

I snapped this photo on the 22nd of May, 2011, at a quarter to 11 A.M.

If you're interested in the image as a needlepoint, or cross-stitch, design, go to my needlepoint blog: http://arsacupicturaestellae.blogspot.com/2011/06/milan-monday-32-another-amazing-lion.html.

Enjoy!

Wordless Wednesday (21)

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Wordless Wednesday 16

A lovely lovely walk after days of rain (and the flu)...Here my are!

Warmish temps (for the first time in months, I walked around with my coat unbuttoned), blue blue skies with a few puffy white clouds, new buds on trees and shrubs, clean fresh air (well, it seemed fresh and clean). It was a close call. I was very tempted to stay indoors, rest, read and do a little needlepoint, but all that can be done in the evening. Instead, right after lunch, I booted myself out of the door, grumbling to myself, but already knowing that it was the right choice. Once again, the camera was the deciding factor, so here is proof that I actually stuck my nose out of the door, walked, walked, walked for an hour and a half, and snapped away with you in mind...More......


The city has lots of little and medium sized parks scattered all over, and many have fenced areas dedicated to letting people's dogs run free...which doesn't stop Italians from ignoring the law to keep dogs on leashes anywhere else. (Thank the Cosmos, cleaning up in public places after one's dog is finally starting to penetrate into the Italians' skulls, but there still are too many egoists, who don't remember that "no man is an island." You wanted the dog? There are responsibilities that go hand in hand with the delights. O.K., I'll get off my soap box, now,...if people have picked up their dogs' business in the vicinity.)



A snippet of park along side the dog area. This snap is for Chris, whose blog, Serendipitous, about the nature she sees and enjoys around her house lifts my spirits.





Here my are!, shadowed against one of Milan's too few bike paths. IMHO, however, that isn't an excuse for the arrogant behavior of the cyclists. Folks, it's called a "sidewalk" because it's on the side of the street, and one walks, not bikes, on it.






Don't drive, it's late and dark, and don't want to risk the bus (limited info in English), but can't afford a taxi, especially repeatedly? There's an excellent compromise available: RadioBus. Like any compromise, there's good and bad. The good part is that at the appointed time a small van passes at a pre-appointed point near where you are, and--for just twice the price of a bus trip--will take you to a pre-appointed place very close to home. The bad part is that the service isn't available during the day time (so as not to compete too much with taxis), and can be reserved only up to three days in advance, so--with that time limit--there isn't always a seat available (especially if you're more than one person). But it's still a great deal.



Surprise! Exposed train tracks right around a couple of corners, and I didn't even know it. Must be part of what is known in Milan as the "passante," a light rail system, sometimes underground, sometimes overground, as there's a stop of one of the lines nearby (info in Italian). In town, the system works just like part of the subway, and the same tickets are used. Once outside a certain circumference, for example, a nearby town (such as Saronno, where there is a museum dedicated to maiolica, which I've been promising myself for years I'd go see), the tickets cost more.




Oh yeah, if you drive, in the last couple of years a pass to enter the within the area once circumferenced by the Spanish Walls has been instituted: the "Ecopass" (info in Italian; only parts of the web site are in English: go to the home page, and select one of the handful of languages available in the pulldown menu on the upper right). You even can pay online, after having entered, but don't forget to do it, quickly, or you'll get a fine ("multa"). There's also a "ZTL" (Limited Traffic Zone) in which only residents are allowed, usually from 10 P.M. to 8 A.M. I'm sure the bar, restaurant and nightclub owners are happy about that, but--with all the noise they create--you can't blame the residents for wanting the restriction, either. Those zones are marked with large brown signs.



Click. Nothing happens. Click. Nothing, again. Click, click, click, click, click. Still nothing. Has your car's remote locking device stop working all of a sudden? You may be near to a TV and radio antenna. Here's a snap of the antenna of the national service today called RAI, whose (gorgeously rationalist with a bit of flair) original 1929 building was constructed on Corso Sempione by Gio Ponti. (Can't find my picture of it; this snap was taken down a side street...will hunt, and try to remember to post it, later.)



After the walk, the happy snapping (despite the suspicious glances...the Milanese are so funny, they can't imagine anyone loving their own city), I feel so refreshed.

A perfect Milanese day.

Happy, Healthy, Prosperous and Serene New Year

Now that Christmas 2010 is over, and 2011 already is a couple of days old (where did THAT time fly?!), here are a few polar bears and a chaperone deer I snapped around 1 P.M. in a florist's window on Piazza Missori during my New Year's Eve search for photos for you....More......






Deciding what to say to start the New Year right, some topics are being put off, at least for a few days, and I decided to focus on my goals for this blog: my photos, my thoughts, my slice of this city.

"Here my are!" reflected, along with the façade of the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele, in the glass of this new museum dedicated to 20th century art, particularly the first half, when Italy played such an important international role in the development of art.







This guy on the Rococo façade of Palazzo Litta on Corso Magenta looks like he had too much to drink on Christmas Eve.

For the origin of the "Here My Are!" theme, see my: http://mymilanitaly.blogspot.com/2010/08/here-my-are.html.

I snapped some other fun shots for you on Christmas Eve day and New Year's Day, and I'll get to reviewing the new museum, soon, but I'm falling asleep at the keyboard, so I just wanted to thank you for reading my blog, and to welcome you back for 2011.

I hope we all have a Happy, Healthy, Prosperous and Serene New Year!