Buongiorno!

Today has been very exciting!

This morning, around 8:30am local Milan time, I woke up and enjoyed breakfast in the hotel lobby. The food was delicious and I was very excited to try my first genuine Italian espresso! After breakfast the group went through our Italian language and communication crash course. We learned typical greetings and how to interact in restaurants and in, al bar, local coffee shops.

Afterwards the group split up to eat lunch, a group of twelve of us ate together!

After lunch we started our walking tour, which started at the hotel and took us through Milan’s modern district and down through a number of cultural areas, ending at the Duomo de Milano!

After we finished the walking tour, we were given free time to explore this historical area, as well as the local shops! Three of us, Marc, Nolan, and myself visited the local Versace after taking some photos. While inside we conversed with the store’s associate about the brand. Stefano spoke excellent english and told us about his love for the brand, as he’s been following them since he was seven years old! It was amazing to meet Stefano, as he is Milanese but speaks nearly perfect English! He showed us his favorite items in the store and talked about his appreciation of Gianni Versace as an artist.

We returned to the hotel and after a short break a group of us decided to get dinner at a local buffet style restaurant! The food was delicious and we decided to take a short walk after. While the cool Milanese evening was quite beautiful, we were all tired from the walking of the day and soon returned to the hotel to recoup for our tours tomorrow. Milan has been a wonder so far, I am excited to what other wonders it holds!