Milan Days 4 and 5

One of Milan's finest.
We need identification of this Milanese bird -- a magpie?

One of our signature "stupid" pictures taken in the beautiful little park near the Principe.

Our walk in the park near the Principe on Tuesday, October 5.

T The program for L'elisir d'amore on October 5.

JoyJoycee at Teatro alla Scala for L'elisir.

J and J at Teatro alla Scalla at L'elisir.

Monday was our first rainy day from beginning to end. It did not stop us from having dinner with Patrizia Piacentini, an Egyptologist we met in Milan in 2008 at the end of our round the world trip, through our friend Elmar Seibel. Patrizia is delightful company, and we so enjoyed her visit to Martha's Vineyard last summer with her family.

Tuesday was our last day in Milan, with high expectations for the Donizetti opera this evening, L'elisir d'amore, featuring Rolando Villazon as Nemorino. We were curious about whether Villazon had fully recovered from his operation, and we concluded at the end of the performance that he is not the same singer he was two or three years ago. However, his furtiva lagrima brought bravos galore, and the cast received a wild ovation at the end. We were not overwhelmed by Nino Machaidze as Adina but it was a splendid evening.