The temperature here in Italy has suddenly soared.

Yesterday as I cycled back to the train station, I was rather alarmed to see the temperature reading 42°C on a city information board. I could probably have guessed it was around that as it had gone from relatively bearable (35°C) to feeling as if somebody was firing a blow torch in my face every time I dared slip out of the shade.

My body was hardly working as I pedalled the 5km down to the station. Normally I treat it like an intense work out but yesterday it was just. Not. Happening.


Whenever we were enjoying the climes of a warmer country (read - The Loire Valley in France because that is basically the only place we ever went during the summer), Mum would always remind us that it was lovely for us to amble lazily around chateaux in but what about the poor people who had to work in it?

I am one of those poor people now. And I am suffering greatly.

The weekends are great though! Especially as we have air conditioning in the teeny apartment.


The view from the communal terrace isn't bad either!

I decided to take an outfit picture this weekend. I never do this ever as I normally just wear jeans/leggings and a top of some kind but as I'd made some kind of effort, I thought I'd share it.

Magro had run back inside to the aircon by this point so window reflection it was...


Breakfast at Princi in Piazza XXV Aprile was a lazy affair over buttery croissants filled with raspberry jam and cool, green juice (or coffee if you're a masochist like Magro. A kind of magrochist.)



Then we dragged our feet around the city a little. Castello Sforzesco is one of my favourite things to see in Milan. The architecture is so strange compared to the castles in England. To me, it looks like something out of a video game.

It was absolutely packed anyway.

The park was full too as it has been for quite a while. Every weekend, you can guarantee that Sempione or the Giardini Pubblici will be full of teenagers playing frisbee, students chatting and shrieking, lovers rolling about... This time however, everybody was limp on the ground in as few clothes as possible.



I feel sorry for the tourists. I can see them struggling as much as I am whilst the Italians mince about in jackets and long sleeves (when do these people get their summer clothes out?!)



Recently there have been lots of food markets popping up in front of the castle. There are loads of stalls for you to choose from, mainly selling food from different Italian regions although I saw a couple of German, Greek and Spanish stalls as well.

The gateways to Expo2015 which will evidently take place in Milan next year (or will it? Corruption scandals are threatening!) have been constructed and stand proud. I'm not a huge fan of them, they look like a work in progress still. What do you think?






I love the Tod's window display at the moment. All of those shoes and so many beautiful colours.

Tod's is actually an Italian brand which took on an English name for marketing purposes.

Apparently there's a market for quality British products in Italy, the country which prides itself on its artisan roots! Who knew?


We spent the next hour or so wandering around the Leonardo Da Vinci museum at the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele.




There wasn't that much to see but I like my exhibitions short and sweet, it's easier to remember things afterwards and you can take your time reading all of the signs without getting achey legs!

In these pictures you can see the mechanical lion and a selection of flying machines, a geometrical ornament portrayed through the use of mirrors and Da Vinci's design for the perpetual motor (the Holy Grail for scientists as they search for a way to create motion without an energy source).

I liked the mannequin model of the Last Supper (the real thing is still in the Chiesa Santa Maria della Grazia).




The bridges and model town were pretty cute too. Although the town was never built, I love the design and think somebody should build me a villa just like it, overlooking the sea. Maybe around the Naples area, I've never been there before.

Get in touch if you're interested. Seriously.

Afterwards we popped off to Villa Necchi Campiglio which was so amazing it deserves its own post. See you soon!