A Castle and Great Masters

Disclaimer:  I am no longer in Milan, but I wrote the posts day by day when I was there.  Feel free to comment and ask questions just as if I were still in Italy.
Buon giorno!
Florence has Michelangelo, Rome claims Raphael, but Milan is emphatically the city of Leonardo. He spent much of his long life here, and his years in Milan were among his most productive. Leonardo advertised himself to the Duke of Milan as a military engineer, but the works of his I saw today were from his sideline--art
I was afraid I'd be cold, but so far the weather here has been better than at home. I strolled down to the Castello Sforzesco which holds several highly worthwhile museums. The castle despite its ominous appearance is a lot of fun. Milan holding such a strategic location has been successfully defended and overrun times beyond count, so the fortress was not just for show. Built of deep red brick, it is surrounded by a deep defensive ditch and high thick walls. At one point it was redesigned to resist artillery. Once inside the mood changes, and one passes through a series of colonnaded court yards.
The chapels and hall have long been stripped of their furnishings, but several worthwhile museums have replaced those.
The castle holds a few carefully guarded treasures. Look up in Sala delle Asse to see a ceiling fresco of a botanical fantasy designed and some say painted by Leonardo himself. In the Gallery of Antique Art stands Michelangelo's last work, the deeply moving Rondanini Pieta. Because it remained unfinished the statue has a curiously modern air. Some of the carving is still crude and the sculptor's marks are still clearly visible. Michelangelo liked to edit as he carved as his vision of the image trapped in the marble became clearer in his mind. In this case he lacked the space to achieve what he wanted and the figures are damaged. Nevertheless, the work is powerful and unmistakably his.
To accompany the statue are some of Michelangelo's drawings on display including several of the Crucifixion that he made for friends to use as devotional objects.
The castle also holds a wonderful exhibit of furniture from the Renaissance to the Early Twentieth Century. I also visited the painting gallery and was puzzled by one of the works. The Virgin looks like she smells something bad and Baby Jesus looks like he's about to barf.  Eh?
Behind the Castle is the Park Sempione, a pleasant place to stroll.  My gelato for the day was chocolate, but it was disappointing.  It was not bad, but it lacked the depth and richness I've come to expect.
Then I walked down to St. Ambroglio. St. Ambrose was one of the leading men of his generation during the fourth century, and must have been a truly remarkable individual.  He was proclaimed Bishop of Milan and had the prestige to bring even emperors to heel.
I could have walked home but I decided to take the metro to try out transferring to another line.  The metro in Milan is easy to use and I think less bewildering for a first time visitor than the London Underground or the Paris Metro.
When I got home I tried Bresaola, a Lombard specially of dried beef in thin slices eaten as an antipasto. Another Lombard treat is rich, creamy Taleggio, a white cheese something like Monterey Jack only soft and with addictive qualities.
Ciao!