Yesterday we made our final hike to the Firenze train station, bid farewell to the city that had been a perfect home to us for the past month and arrived safely in Milan. Our hotel in Milan was close to the station, so we wasted no time in depositing our bags and nipped down to the Duomo here, another cathedral with spires and pinnacles soaring into the heavens, and only a mere 2.5 kilometres away. This cathedral took almost six centuries to complete and always reminds me of a cake that has been iced with intricate lacy designs. We fought our way through the pigeons and African bracelet sellers in the piazza in front to enter the church and marvel again at how such massive buildings were ever constructed in the past. The interior is rather dark despite the many stained glass windows down either side. No dome here, but the high Gothic vaults make the space within seem larger than any of the cathedrals we have visited.

On the way to the cathedral we walked through the fabulous Galleria Vittorio Emanuele and each took a spin on the bull's testicles just to give us some extra good luck for the year. We had worn our red underwear on New Year's Eve and rubbed the snout of the boar which is the symbol of Tuscany, but you can never have too much luck so we did as the locals have been doing for years. The bull in the central mosaic of the floor is from the Turin Coat of Arms and the tradition is to place the right heel on "the spot" and spin three times to bring good luck. The shopping arcade is a huge 19th century construction of glass and iron and houses luxury shops and restaurants which we did not try out. Instead we found our way to Via Fiori Chiari, a charming pedestrian street of lovely cafes and bars and trattorias. We ate in a great little place made cheery with its red checkered table cloths and welcoming hosts who took great pleasure in our (what we thought as improving) Italian.

Day two in Milan dawned with a chill, but after a hearty breakfast, compliments of our hotel, we braved the cold and set out to explore more of the fashion capital of the world. The January sales beckoned from every window and Tony got himself a beautiful wool suit at a bargain too good to refuse. Restrained by luggage limits we had to turn a blind eye to the shop windows and made our way to Storzesco Castle, one of the few castles in Italy not built on a hill, and then enjoyed a pleasant walk in the nearby park.

The last day of any holiday is always tinged with sadness, but we packed our bags stoically and enjoyed our final dinner in Italy with much toasting to happy times and happy memories. Tomorrow we fly home.