Whatever is happening on Sundays in Duomo?
Sundays are dead days in Milan… Or, at least that is the usual suspect for the city. Especially, if you are living in the more residential areas of the city -in the upper or lower skirts, where you have only a park, an Esselunga (supermarket) and lots of apartments- there really is only a complicated mix of silence, serenity and boredom.
However, the more touristic center of the town will almost always have something to offer…
Like this one time, when I had an out-of-town visitor, and took her to Duomo on a Sunday. It was around noon and Duomo was already packed, although not with people, but with hundreds of red ferraris. Apparently, it was a ferrari show day, like an exhibition; and all ferrari owners in Milan had come to Duomo to showcase their car. It was not only interesting to see so many ferraris line up together in front of the cathedral, but it was also equally fun to watch Italians interact with each other as they parked and moved their cars. One car slid past a barrier and got a little mark on its rear part and the owner got rightfully enraged. However, the actual irony of the ferrari showcase was happening in front of the cathedral. As the ferraris continued to line up through Piazza Duomo, a Tibetian monk in his red suit was climbing the stairs to the entrance of the cathedral. A very ironic scene that could have been captured by Robin Sharma’s book “The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari.”
Nowadays, a collaborative partnership between Alfa Romeo MITO, Sicom and Virgin Radio has developed a “ROCK’n MUSIC PLANET” exhibition in Duomo square -a huge tent that has all necessary props and design elements to deliver the story of rock’n'roll. Among the many articles exhibited, most significant ones include the guitar of Jimi Hendrix, Kurt Cobain, George Harrison, musical scripts of Jim Morrison and John Lennon, the harmonica of Bob Dylan, the songs of Elvis Presley, Beatles, Rolling Stone, Miles Davis, David Bowie, showcases of Woodstock and Live Aid. The exhibition started in October, and is expected to continue until mid-March.
Temporary shops are another mark of Duomo. Every now and then, there will appear a tent or a new front look in one of the stores around the Piazza. And, the residents and the visitors would understand that somebody is setting up his temporary store for the month. Temporary stores usually mean new events, parties, music and cocktails that will liven up the otherwise serene Sundays.
Even where there is no exhibition, event or showcase, the streets leading out from Duomo to Cairoli or to San Babila offer the possibility to window shop or take a rest in a cafe and a sip a glass of Italian wine. For the exquisite resting cafes, jump onto my next article.
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