Milan is famous for being the designer fashion capital of the world.
Versace, Gucci, Giorgio Armani, Prada, Dolce & Gabanna, Kanina, Tualampa. You name it, you got it.
Naturally, there are heaps of billboard ads from all the famous fashion houses adorning the walls of the buildings around here. The best thing about these ads is that they are all very eye-catching, because more often than not they employ some of the best supermodels in the world.
Like this Dolce & Gabanna ad I saw at the Milan airport.
At first glance, this seems like a pretty typical ad for a fashion label.
You got a couple of hot chicks in the centre of attention, having fun, dancing together with some other equally hot guys. All the girls are dressed in nice dresses. All the guys are dressed in fine suits. All of them looking like a million bucks.
Everything looks all fine and dandy like a normal party scene, but did you see something SERIOUSLY wrong with this ad?
Why is that guy DANCING IN HIS UNDIES next to a girl?
In other parts of the world, his arse would be locked in jail for sexual harrassment ok!
When In Rome
People used to say “When in Rome”
“Do as the Romans do.”
Well.
This was probably not quite what they had in mind.
A Very Old Church
Italy is a country blessed with many old and beautiful catholic churches.
One of the greatest grand old churches in the world is the Duomo di Milano – literally, the cathedral of Milan.
I actually came across this building unexpectedly when I lost my way around the narrow streets of the city. The first time I laid my eyes on it, it took my breath away. With its imposing Gothic facade and its amazing spires rising above the surrounding designer boutiques, I was left in absolute awe.
It costs 7 Euros (RM35) to use the elevator. The views from the top of the cathedral are worth every penny of it.
Adorning the top of the tallest spire, holding a cross, is the bronze statue of Madonna. Not the singer Madonna. The religious figure Madonna.
The exterior of the Duomo di Milano is simply extraordinary.
There are at least 3,200 statutes, all intricately carved out of stones, marbles, bronze and gold, crammed onto the facade, pillars and buttresses of the structure. Eventhough parts of the building are still undergoing restoration when I visited it, the beauty of the cathedral is undeniable.
The complexity of building such a complicated structure got me wondering how much time it actually took to build a church like that. My travel guidebook said it was built in 1397 and wasn’t finished until year 1812.
That is a blardy long time to finish a building like that.
In Kuching, our oldest temple is the Tua Pek Kong which is probably only 100 years old. And to us, that is very old already.
In comparison, the Duomo di Milano is at least 600 years old.
The cathedral is so old, at least 11 different chief engineers worked on it. It is so old, it takes over 8 generations of builders to build.
Heck. It is so old, even the statues’ boobs start sagging.
The Last Supper
Leonardo da Vinci painted this way back in 1492.
Now, people like me pay 8 Euros (RM40) just to watch this piece of work for 15 minutes. Even a foot massage costs cheaper than that.
From the back wall of Santa Maria della Grazie church in Milan, Italy.
Jesus said to his twelve apostles, “One of you shall betray me.”
Happy (belated) Easter, Jesus.