Milan, Italy

I really shouldn't believe what I read in women's mags. Milanese are not all models wearing haute couture, in stiletto heels and the Botox look. Milan does not equal fashion. Unless you have a fake tan and have a thing for big flashy emblems. That's not very fair, but you have to admit it is nearly true. Moving on to the better bits, the trip to Milan was worth it for 3 reasons:

1 - Duomo. Anything that takes 500 years to build warrants a visit.

2 - Italian food. Pizza, pasta, gelati. Why can't we get food like this in London?

3 - Blue Note Milan. The sister club of the legendary Blue Note New York jazz club. Need I say more?

4 - Kartell flagship store. Making the most uncomfortable (Ghost) chairs fashionable.

5 - Padiglione d'Arte Contemporanea (I'm guessing it means Contemporary Art Museum) - Photography exhibition by Andres Serrano, New York. Please google him. His exhibition nearly made me vomit. Yes. These images were so shocking, Serrano had kept some because deemed too shocking, and they were displayed exclusively, for the very first time, in Milan.

I'm cannot say I liked Serrano's images, nor am I not commending it. I don't think I could even make up my mind in this lifetime. But upon reading about him I find myself clicking to read more about Serrano.

Oh, and the Jan 2005 edition of the Milan Lonely Planet has INACCURATE MAPS. It wasn't that I couldn't read maps. Really. They were just wrong. Really.