Members’ Selections

Ed Boitano – T-Boy editor:

• Space Needle — Seattle:  I would be amiss not to place this space age tower that has come to define my hometown at the top of my list. As a first-grader, each day at recess I would rush out to my elementary school playground and watch this architectural wonder’s construction, marveling at its new growth and futuristic space age splendor. Little did I know that in 1962 we were at the cusp of new era with the assassination of JFK and the arrival of the Beatles. And with the completion of the Space Needle for the 1962 Century 21 Exposition — Seattle World’s Fair, my little maritime town, seemingly hidden in the northwest corner of America, became a world-class city for the rest of the planet to see.
• Duomo di Milano — Italy: The stunning Gothic cathedral took nearly six centuries to complete, and today is the largest church in Italy; a technicality with the larger St. Peter’s Basilica in the State of Vatican City. Occupying an entire city block, the cathedral’s façade of pink-veined white Candoglia marble is adorned with 3,400 statues, 135 gargoyles and 700 figures, and a gold-colored statue of the Madonnina, standing on the terrace’s highest spire.
• Roman Colosseum — Italy: The forerunner of the modern sports stadium, the Roman Colosseum (Anfiteatro Flavio) was the largest amphitheatre the world had ever seen. Constructed in AD 80 with travertine limestone, volcanic rock and brick-faced concrete, it was an engineering marvel with an enormous retractable awning to protect 50,000 to 80,000 spectators from the beating Roman sun. Programs included gladiatorial contests, mock sea battles on water, animal hunts, executions, re-enactments of famous battles, and dramas based on Classical mythology.
• Newgrange — Ireland: This megalithic mound was built by Neolithic farmers approximately 5000 years ago. Considered a place of astronomical and religious significance, at the dawn of winter solstice — December 19th to 23rd — the passage and chamber are illuminated by 17 minutes of light.
• Chicago Architecture River Cruise — The Great Chicago Fire of 1871 burnt down 3.3 square miles of the city, destroying 17,500 buildings. The rebuilding began almost immediately with architects pouring into the city, anxious to try out new architectural styles. You can see the results on a Chicago River cruise where 40 notable buildings are on display.

Richard Carroll – T-Boy writer:

• Tikal in Guatemala, dating to 200 A.D.
• Palenque in Chiapas, Mexico, 600 A.D. The Maya sites in Mexico and Guatemala are stunning as old as the Egyptian Pyramids, but a huge step above, as they were cities, and much more thoughtful and intriguing than the pyramids.
• La Cite du Vin Bordeaux: Rising 55 meters into the Bordeaux sky, the creative and unusual architecture appearing like a huge ship’s hull or with a little imagination a wine barrel. The wine complex/museum is ranked number one in the world focusing on cutting edge technology, with incredible videos, like something Disney would create.
• Hagia Sophia, Istanbul, the forefront of architectural design, construction began in 537 A.D. and with enough history to fill a library. A breathtaking experience to visit Hagia Sophia.
• Eiffel Tower in Paris

Here in the U.S.:

• Statue of Liberty
• Empire State Building
• Golden Gate Bridge

Stephen Brewer – T-Boy writer:

• Fallingwater – Pennsylvania
• Mezquita-Catedral de Córdoba – Spain
• Acropolis – Athens, Greece
• Empire State Building – NYC
• Mont–Saint–Michel – Normandy, France

Susan Breslow – T-Boy writer:

• Fontainebleau Hotel, Miami Beach
• Neuschwanstein Castle, Bavaria
• Sydney Opera House
• Dancing House, Prague
• La Sagrada Familia, Barcelona
• Walt Disney Concert Hall, Los Angeles
• Chateau Frontenac, Quebec City
• St. Basil’s Cathedral, Moscow
• Chrysler Building, NYC
• Taliesen West, Arizona

Jim Gordon – Co-host & co-producer Travel Guys TV:

• 300 ft tall Buddha statue in Leshan, China (filmed there in 2008, just breathtaking)
• Glasgow Cathedral in Scotland (filmed there in 2019, walking through a century of history, snuck a camera in, could’ve stayed for a day)
• Sydney Opera House in Australia (filmed there in 2005 & 2011, stood in awe of the design)
• Petronas Twin Towers in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (filmed there in 2009, I’ve seen many similar building designs, but this one with the city’s park beside it, the lights, stunning)
• Old Trafford, Manchester, England (filmed there in 2008, not my team, hate them, but to stand and film in that empty stadium, sporting cathedral really, left me breathless as a British football fan)

Richard Frisbie – T-Boy writer:

• In Sevilla – Parasol Metropol: the world’s largest wooden structure, a series of mushroom-shaped, interconnected buildings with undulating walkways over and through them – simply stunning – with the Roman ruins in the basement that prevented it from becoming the transportation hub it was designed for!
• In Saugerties – Opus 40: one of the oldest and most magnificent earthworks in the US – a series of stairs, ramps, and pools all made of bluestone, centering around a huge stone obelisk, created and built by one man, Harvey Fite.
• In Rio de Janeiro: the black and white tiled walks and walls created by Roberto Burle Marx. Also – any of his gardens, especially the one at his home: Sitio Santo Antonio da Bica.
• In Brasil – Oscar Niemeyer’s Museum: that looks like the star ship Enterprise, from the Star Trek series.
• The Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, Spain: Frank Gehry’s undulating titanium masterpiece.

James Boitano – T-Boy writer:

• St. Basil’s Cathedral in Moscow
• Stave Churches of Norway
• The ‘Three Bridges’ of Ljubljana, Slovenia
• Aya Sophia Mosque in Istanbul
• Grand Coulee Dam, Washington State

Allan Smith – Artist & T-Boy writer:

• Sagrada Família, Barcelona, Spain. Architect: Antonio Gaudi
• Chrysler Building, NYC, New York. Architect: William Van Alen
• Great Pyramids, Giza, Egypt. Architect: unknown
• Bird’s Nest Stadium, Beijing, China. Architect: Jacques Herzog and Pierre de Meuron
• Reims Cathedral, Reims, France. Architect: Jean d’Orbais
• Hagia Sophia, Istanbul, Turkey. Architect: Anthemius of Tralles. Isidore of Miletus
• The Space Needle, Seattle, Washington. Architect: John Graham & Company
• Neuschwanstein Schlosse, Bavaria, Germany. Architect: Eduard Riedel
• Himeji Castle, Hyōgo Prefecture of Japan. Architect: Toyotomi Hideyoshi
• Yellow Crane Temple, Wuhan, China. Architect: unknown

Deb Roskamp – T-Boy writer:

• Duomo di Milano – Milan, Italy: The awe-inspiring magnificence of scale… breathtaking!
• Statue of Liberty – NYC: Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free…T E A R S.
• Arch de Triomphe – Paris: So much history transcribed in its triumphal sculpting.
• Walt Disney Concert Hall – Los Angeles: Makes me happy every time I see it.
• The Space Needle – Seattle, Washington: Whimsical memories of the 60s in my home state.

Alex Brouwer – T-Boy writer:

• Machu Picchu – Peru
• Teotihuacán City/Pyramids – Mexico
• Chichen Itza – Mexico
• Stonehenge – England
• Eiffel Tower – France
• Honorable mention: Roman Colosseum and Leaning Tower of Pisa

Ringo Boitano – T-Boy Writer:

• Neuschwanstein Schlosse – Bavaria, Germany
• Taos Pueblo – New Mexico
• Christ the Redeemer (Cristo Redentor) – Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
• Brooklyn Bridge – NYC
• Emperor’s Palace – Imperial City of Huế, Vietnam

Brent Campbell – Musician & Composer:

• St. Basil’s Cathedral in Moscow
• The Guggenheim Museum in NYC
• Chicago Bean (aka Cloud Gate) in Chicago
• Bird’s Nest Stadium in Beijing 
• Seattle Space Needle

Greg Aragon – T-Boy Writer:

• Panama Canal
• Hoover Dam, Nevada
• California Aqueduct, which transports water 444 miles from Northern California to Southern California
• Mike O’Callaghan – Pat Tillman Memorial Bridge (886 ft-high), which spans the Colorado River between Arizona and Nevada
• Mount Rushmore, South Dakota

Fyllis Hockman – T-Boy writer:

• The Great Pyramids – Giza, Egypt
• Empire State Building – NYC  
• Chichen Itza – Yucatan, Mexico
• Mount Rushmore – South Dakota
• The Hermitage – St. Petersburg, Russia

T.E. Mattox – T-Boy music critic:

• Eiffel Tower – That guy lived in an apartment up there
• Roman Colosseum – Massive
• Musee d’Orsay – Paris. Train, train
• Toji – Buddhist Temple in Kyoto, Japan 
• Duomo di Milano – Milan, Italy.  Majestic

David Erskine – T-Boy VP of advertising:

• Knossos on the Isle of Crete – Greece
• Taj Mahal – Agra, India
• Love Temples – Khajuraho, India
• Eiffel Tower – Paris
• Wat Pho ‘Temple of the Reclining Buddha’ – Bangkok, Thailand
• Blue Mosque – Istanbul, Turkey
• Acropolis – Athens, Greece
• Roman Colosseum – Italy
• Empire State Building – NYC
• Munich Franuenkirche – Germany
• Red Fort – Delhi, India

Tom Tapp – Film & music critic:

• Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, Spain
• The Ruins at Petra, Jordan
• The Anasazi cliff dwellings in Gila, Arizona 
• Highway 1 in California 
• The Medina of Marrakesh, Morocco

Raoul Pascual – T-Boy co-founder, illustrator and art director:

• Empire State Building, NYC
• Leaning Tower of Pisa, Italy
• Great Pyramids,  Giza, Egypt
• Statue of Liberty, Liberty Island in New York Harbor
• Singapore Changi Airport, Changi, Singapore

Lee Olson – TV producer & writer

• Summer Palace in Bejing – China
• Angkor Wat – Cambodia
• The Alhambra – Granada, Spain
• Versaille Chateau – France
• Chichen Itza “El Castillo” Pyramid – Yucatan, Mexico

Rourke – Film critic & musician:

• Eiffel Tower, Paris
• Roman Colosseum, Italy
• Brooklyn Bridge, NYC
• Saint Peter’s Basilica, Vatican City
• Bank of China Tower, Hong Kong

Honorable mentions:

• Trevi Fountain, Rome
• Holocaust Memorial, Boston
• Pan Pacific Theater, L.A. (burned years ago)

Chloe Erskine – Educator:

• The Golden Gate Bridge – San Francisco
• The Walls of Benin – Edo, Nigeria

The post The T-Boy Society of Film & Music’s Favorite Man Made World Wonders appeared first on Traveling Archive.

I had never seen so many tall and sleek model types in my life. I watched with fascination as they rushed through Milan’s  Piazza del Duomo (“Cathedral Square”) for an unknown rendezvous or appointment, dressed in the latest fashion. It was also the first time I had ever paid $16 for a café latte, but it was well worth the price for a front row table facing the magnificent Piazza.

At the other end of the square sat the iconic symbol of Milan: The Duomo di Milano. Occupying an entire city block, the Lombard Gothic style cathedral glistened in evening light due to the façade of pink-veined white Candoglia marble. Adorned with 3,400 statues, 135 gargoyles and 700 figures, construction took over 500 years to complete. As the third largest cathedral in the world, I could just catch a glimpse of the rooftop terrace with the gold-colored statue of the Madonnina, standing on the Duomo’s highest spire.

I proclaimed then and there it was the most beautiful cathedral I had ever seen. I read in a guide book that there’s an elevator to the top, but you can also walk up the stairs in an average time of 10 to 15 minutes. I challenged myself to do it in under 10. But first, the night was before me and it was time to explore more of the pulsating city of Milan.

The Next Day

After a filling lunch of the Milanese specialties Osso Buco – a cross-cut veal shank with a bone marrow hole at its center, served with the traditional side dish of Risotto alla Milanese with saffron – I took another look at my guide book.

Surrounded by skinny suit attired locals on the go, I read that Milan is an important railway hub, which many tourists use as a starting point for journeys to more ancient Italian cities with Roman ruins and medieval cobblestone streets.  This is not Milan. As the fashion capital of the world, it is there to experience the moment. Milan embodies the Italian notion of la bella figura: behaving well and looking good doing it.

With a population of 1,357,599,  Milan is also a major financial, industrial, and design hub. It possesses a historic core that has an imposing, solid grandeur to it.  In recent years, vehicles have begun being banished from it (gradually – street by street), making one feel as if in an open-air living room.

As I strolled to the Duomo, I remembered last night’s outing to the famous Navigli, a canal area left over from a system of waterways that once connected Milano with Lake Como and the Adriatic Sea.

The innovative system of locks was designed by Leonardo Da Vinci in the late fifteenth century. One of the canals actually stopped directly in front of Duomo, transporting the Candoglia marble from quarries in Lake Maggiore. Leonardo spent 17-years in Milan. His fresco of “The Last Supper” is available for viewing at the Church of Santa Maria delle Grazie, but make sure you get your tickets in advance.

1:02 PM: Soon I arrived at the darkened entryway of the Duomo. Before me were the high steps to the terrace.   I gave the elevator a second look, and began my ascent up the stairway. Worn smooth by centuries of other pilgrims, it seemed an easy task. There was a young family leisurely walking up the steps before me so I lessened my pace, rather than rush by them and ruin their experience. I decided to take a short break by an open window overlooking the square.

I could just make out the magnificent Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II Arcade, named for the first king of Italy in 1900 after the unification of the Italian States. The famous passageway through the arcade was where the likes of Toscanini, Verdi and Maria Callas would walk after a performance at nearby Teatro alla Scala. I had hoped to book a ticket at the historic opera house, but did manage a tour where I enjoyed an unforgettable afternoon rehearsal, thanks to With Locals’ all knowing guide, Francesca Giorgetti.

1:06 PM: I took another look at my watch, and realized that I had some serious time to make-up. I charged up the steps, this time passing the group before me. Another 100 steps on, I began to falter. Did the guidebook say anything about the effect of the altitude? And why had I had such a big lunch? Disappointed in myself, I needed another reprieve.

I caught my breath before another open window where I could see the entrance to the interior. I had booked my ticket earlier at the Museo del Duomo where the helpful staff were quite accommodating, answering my endless questions. As expected, the interior of the Duomo was beautiful, consisting of a nave with four side-aisles, crossed by a transept, then followed by an apse. Above the apse there is a small illuminated red light bulb. This marks the spot where one of the three nails of Jesus’ crucifixion was placed, believed to be retrieved by Helena, the mother of Roman Emperor Constantine, after a religious tour of Jerusalem. She is regarded as the one who converted Constantine to Christianity, who, in turn Christianized the Roman Empire. Once a year the nail is presented in a wooden basket for viewings.

1:11 PM: Okay, no more time for breaks. I needed to make up some serious time, with about one minute left to make it to the terrace. My legs felt as heavy as Candoglia marble.  Taking deep breaths, I remembered my wife begging me not to let my membership to my health club expire. Huffing and puffing I was soon met with glorious daylight, 30 seconds ahead of schedule. But somehow it wasn’t what I had expected. Where was the statue of the Madonnina and the flying buttresses? A kind guide noticed my confusion, and informed me that there were still more steps to the terrace, just around the corner.

I hurried to her direction to the base of the final stairway. A tourist gave me a quizzical look. I shouted over my shoulder, “I’m on a mission.” The tourist replied, “This is the Duomo, not a Mission.” Adrenalin kicked it and I began to ascend the final stairs.

1:12 PM: With just seconds left of my allotted ten minutes, I made it victoriously to the terrace. Although there were no medals or applause; my reward was more inconceivable than anything I could ever have imagined: I had just ascended to heaven. Before me was a fairy tale array of openwork pinnacles and spires, set upon delicate flying buttresses. And yes, there was the glorious Madonnina, towering above me. The other tourists on the terrace were serene and respectful, only adding to this other-worldly experience. I recalled a quotation from  Mark Twain:

What a wonder it is!
So grand, so solemn, so vast!
And yet so delicate, so airy, so graceful!
A very world of solid weight, and yet it seems
In the soft moonlight only a fairy delusion of frost-work
That might vanish with a breath!
How sharply its pinnacled angles
And its wilderness of spires were cut against the sky,
And how richly their shadows fell upon its snowy roof!
It was a vision! — a miracle! —
An anthem sung in stone, a poem wrought in marble!”

– Mark Twain

I walked to the ledge for the angel-like view before me. It was a picture perfect day with spectacular vistas of the city and even the snowcapped Swiss Alps in the distance. There was still much to see and do in Milan. But, for the moment, I was in no hurry.

For further information about travel to Milan, logon to Turismo Milano.

The post Up the Staircase to the Top of the Duomo di Milano: Exploring Milan, The City of Now appeared first on Traveling Archive.