Lifestyle
March 18 - 31, 2015
www.TheEpochTimes.com
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Naviglio Grande: the canal waterway in Milian has a romantic setting where one can enjoy outside dining on a summers evening in one of the many restuarants and bars
City and lakes
The landscapes and cultural
attractions of Milan and Lombardy
JUDITH BAKER
20 million people are expected to
come to Milan this year as it hosts
EXPO 2015. But other attractions
await the visitor in the fashion
capital of Europe, which sits close
to mountains, lakes, and coast.
The sculpture depicting a gigantic needle with a multi-coloured
thread that dominates the Piazza
Codorna in Milan symbolises the
citys influence in the world of
fashion, but there is more than
designer clothes and bags on
view in the north Italian city this
year at EXPO 2015, which runs
between May 1 and October 31,
2015.
The universal exposition
remains an unmissable showcase
for countries of the world, where
they display the best of their
technologies and innovations,
and this year appropriately for
a country renowned for its love of
fine cuisine the theme is food.
Feeding the Planet, Energy
for Life is the common thread
of Expo Milano 2015. It aims to
encourage international discussion through events organised
both inside and outside the
exhibition space. The participating countries, of which there
are more than 140 to date, will
present and share technical solutions at their Pavilions. But The
Milan Expo is designed not just
to demonstrate technologies for
a sustainable future, but to be a
global and interactive event.
Built as a city, with streets, restaurants, places for events and
concerts, and areas for children,
the exhibition area will be a live
stage from morning to night,
animated by thousands of performances, concerts, workshops,
and exhibitions. Expo Milano
2015 extends over an area of about
1 million square metres located
northwest of Milan and is linked
to two highways. It is a few kilometres away from the airports
of Linate and Malpensa and is
connected via high-speed rail line
and the metro.
Wishing to see what Milan has
to offer visitors away from Expo,
I began my exploration at the
Duomo, the heart of Milans historic nucleus. From here a star of
arteries radiate out through the
city to the suburbs. The Duomo
itself is the worlds fourth largest
cathedral, and took 400 years to
complete. It is an elegant mass
of marble with more than 100
spires and thousands of statues
and gargoyles. I walked all the
way to the top of the structure
from where there is a magnificent
view of modern-day Milan, which
includes the iconic Pirelli Tower
and the quirky 1958 Torre Velasca,
an office block designed along the
lines of a medieval fortress.
Linking the Piazza Duomo and
PUZZLES
the Piazza delle Scala, home to
the famous La Scala opera house,
is Galleria Vittorio Emmanuelle
II, Milans magnificent arcade
said be the worlds first shopping
centre. With its mosaic floors and
vaulted iron and glass roof the
belle-poque building is a far cry
from the Westfields and the other
modern shopping malls with
which I am familiar. It is worth
a stop is the glamorous Campari
bar right at the end of the Galleria
where the drink was supposedly
invented by a barman.
A short stroll takes me to the
famous Golden Triangle (Quadilatero Della Moda), a plethora of
beautiful boutiques, which are
magnets to the rich and famous.
But away from the designer
shops and smart hotels I sought
out some of Milans real treasures.
The convent of Santa Maria Della
grazie, in the Magenta district,
is home to Leonardo da Vincis
The Last Supper, which the artist
painted on the north wall of the
convent refectory between 1494
and 1498.
The number of visitors to see
the work is limited to protect the
painting, famous for its use of
perspective that makes spectators
almost feel part of the scene.
In July this year, the largest
Leonardo exhibition ever staged
in Italy, with over 10 of his drawings on show, can be seen at the
Palazzo Reale, Milan.
SU DOKU
Amazing views at Lake Como
Escapes
The Milanese take full advantage
of the citys proximity to the Italian lakes, Alps, and the coast, with
many locals spending each weekend out of town.
A short coach ride finds me in
Brescia, a small city in the commune of Lombardy. The charming cobbled streets belie the fact
that the factories here are famous
for producing weapons (including
the renowned Beretta pistols that
James Bond wielded).
My favourite spot in Brescia is
Santa Giulias cloister. This museum and former convent houses
a massive collection of art and
archaeology dating back more
than 10,000 years and explores
the regions history from prehistory to Roman occupation to
the Lombard invasion.
The museums here also contain
foundational remnants of Brescian houses from various periods. I found time for lunch before
heading to the lakes, and a simple
plate of casoncelli (fresh pasta)
cooked with herb butter and sage
was just what was needed, eaten
in Le Soste, a beautiful former
Fill in the boxes using numbers between 1 and 9 so
that each column, each row, and each 3x3 square
contain all nine numbers only once.
stables decked out with antiques
and, I noted with caution, the odd
Beretta pistol.
Como
Lake Como is only 40 minutes
from Milan and together with
Lake Garda is one of the loveliest
Italian lakes. Como is home to the
fastest funicular in Europe, which
will whiz you up to experience
views of the lakes and of Milan,
but I opted for a slower, sedate
boat ride across the lake.
Surrounded by the snowcapped Prealps (they sit in front of
The Alps themselves), the 46-kilometre-long lake is best known for
its array of elegant villas. Visitors
flock here for a glimpse of George
Clooney who owns a house here,
but residents who tend to live
here only in summer also
include rich Russian heiresses
and celebrities. The lake has its
sombre side too. The picturesque
lake was where Benito Mussolini
was assassinated in 1945.
The cypress-surrounded villas
with their gardens, fountains, and
sculptures were built for cardinals
and generals from the 15th cen-
tury onwards, but these days can
often be seen featuring in movies
such as Oceans 12 and Star Wars
or simply as playgrounds for the
wealthy.
I glide away on the boat back to
Como without spotting any celebrities, but compensate with an
apertivo at the Palace Hotel and
reflect on the infinite possibilities
for visitors to Milan this year.
Judith Baker is a travel writer and
editor based in London, UK. She is
a member of The British Guild of
Travel Writers.
For further information visit:
Expo2015.org
Bresciatourism.it
Lakecomo.com
www.wonderfulexpo2015.info
The official tourist website of
Milan and Lombardy containing
information, updates, descriptions, images, and videos about
the beauties of the area, as well
as a range of proposals for travel,
accommodation, and services
offered by Lombardy to its visitors.
4 Numbers
4NUMBERS
Use the numbers and operands provided to achieve a solution of 24. The number of
unique solutions is provided. However, there may be solutions that are equivalent
to the unique solutions provided. Details provided at: http://www.4nums.com/
theory/
2 Unique Solutions
KAKURO
Kakuro puzzles are like crosswords that use numbers instead of words. The goal
is to fill the blank squares associated with a clue (called a run) with the numbers
1-9 so that the numbers add up to the corresponding clues. Like Sudoku, digits in
a run cannot repeat. When the grid is filled, the puzzle is complete.
produce the target numbers
in the top-left corners.
Easy
WORKSPACE
Each row and each column
must contain the numbers 1
through 4 (easy) or 1 through 6
(challenging) without repeating.
Freebies: Fill in single-box
cages with the number in
the top-left corner.
KEN KEN
The numbers within the heavily
outlined boxes, called cages,
must combine using the given
operation (in any order) to
2 Unique Solutions
4 Numbers
Hard
Solutions:
10-7-14
KenKen is a registered trademark of Nextoy, LLC. 2014 KenKen Puzzle LLC. All rights reserved. Dist. by Universal Uclick for UFS www.kenken.com
1. Each row and each column
must contain the numbers 1
through 6 without repeating.
2. The numbers within the
heavily outlined boxes, called
cages, must combine using the
given operation (in any order)
to produce the target numbers
in the top-left
corners.
3. Freebies: Fill in single-box
cages with the number in the
top-left corner.
KenKen is a registered trademark of Nextoy, LLC. 2013 KenKen Puzzle LLC. All rights reserved. Dist. by Universal Uclick for UFS www.kenken.com
5-15-13
Each row and each column
must contain the numbers 1
through 4 (easy) or 1 through 6
(challenging) without repeating.
The numbers within the heavily
outlined boxes, called cages,
must combine using the given
operation (in any order) to
produce the target numbers
in the top-left corners.
Freebies: Fill in single-box
cages with the number in
the top-left corner.
4NUMBERS UNIQUE SOLUTIONS
Solutions:
10-6-14
produce the target numbers
in the
top-left the
corners.
produce
target numbers
through
4 (easy)the
or 1numbers
through 61
must contain
in the Fill
top-left
corners.
Freebies:
in single-box
(challenging)
withoutorrepeating.
through 4 (easy)
1 through 6 cages with the number in
Freebies: Fill in single-box
(challenging)
without
repeating.
The numbers within the heavily
the top-left
corner.
cages
with
the
number in
outlined
boxes, called
The numbers
withincages,
the heavily
the top-left corner.
must
combine
usingcalled
the given
outlined
boxes,
cages,
operation
(in
any
order)
to
must combine using the given
operation (in any order) to
KAKURO
Each row and each column
contain
the numbers
1
must
Each
row and
each column
SU DOKU
KEN KEN HARD
outlined boxes, called cages,
must combine using the given
operation (in any order) to
The numbers within the heavily
Each row and each column
must contain the numbers 1
through 4 (easy) or 1 through 6
(challenging) without repeating.
cages with the number in
the top-left corner.
Freebies: Fill in single-box
produce the target numbers
in the top-left corners.
10-7-14
KenKen is a registered trademark of Nextoy, LLC. 2014 KenKen Puzzle LLC. All rights reserved. Dist. by Universal Uclick for UFS www.kenken.com
KEN KEN EASY
SOLUTIONS
KenKen is a registered trademark of Nextoy, LLC. 2014 KenKen Puzzle LLC. All rights reserved. Dist. by Universal Uclick for UFS www.kenken.com
KenKen is a registered trademark of Nextoy, LLC. 2014 KenKen Puzzle
LLC. All rights reserved. Dist. by Universal Uclick for UFS www.kenken.com
10-6-14
