Not All Who Wander Are Lost Part II

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!
I had a somewhat frustrating day. It is wonderful to be in Milan, but when I went to visit the old Roman Amphitheatre and museum I could see something was there but found no way in. Then I faced a series of locked up churches.
So I went walking--much more amusing to do than to read about. The historic center is full of beautiful buildings for those who like architecture mostly late Baroque and nineteenth century. I saw tourists taking pictures of banks and department stores! I just wandered around saying, "Hmm looks interesting over there," and ended up off map with no idea where I was. When this occurs one can go back or keep walking forward. I did the latter and got in a good leg stretch. I actually ended up in a real people neighborhood and had a good look around before returning to the historic center.
For my fellow window lickers: Milan presents unparalleled opportunities to slurp. Name any luxury brand you like, and you will find multiple outlets here in Italy's--Europe's--the Galaxy's--capital of fashion. Bags are the big thing among the ladies of Milan. I have never seen so much Gucci in my life.  I have posted a picture of the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele which is the mother lode of style.
I returned to Brea and Amorino for my gelato fix, and I may indeed return tomorrow. I enjoyed Amarena with lots of cherries, dark chocolate (oh so rich!) and creme caramel (to die for!)
One thing I have noticed is that the folks here walk around very wrapped up. Most people seem to be wearing heavy jackets. I feared being cold but I am just fine with a sweater, and sometimes I even take it off, but let's talk about FOOD and DRINK.
Pasta, Pil? Yes. I have been eating pasta because it's easiest to boil or microwave, but as the Tuscans were stigmatized as bean eaters by the other Italians, the Lombardians were scorned as eaters of Polenta.  And by the way you can forget about the Mediterranean Diet here. It's all about butter and cream in the Northern Italian traditional dishes. Polenta made with cornmeal, which you can buy in a grocery store. You need not fall for fancy imported stuff. If you don't fancy standing at the stove stirring for an hour, you can make a big batch in the slow cooker. Or for a small batch, do what I do. Cook it in the microwave. The proportion is one part polenta to three parts water. Stir to remove lumps. In a microwave safe container with a lid, cook on high three minutes. Stir well because there will be more lumps. Cook on high for two to three more minutes.
Ok, Pil. I have a bowl of polenta. Now what? Well, it's bland by itself. Add some salt and use it as a base for a highly sauced stew or chili. Or dump in a lot of grated Parmesan and some red chile flakes. When it's dried you can slice it, fry it up and put stuff on it.
What's to drink? Well, I shelled out for a bottle of the local sparkling wine called Franciacorta. And . . . well . . . I didn't like it that much. I'll wait while you pick yourself off the floor. It's not bad. I like Prosecco better, which is probably more of a tribute to my plebeian taste than anything else.
Ciao!