The last stop on the incredible tour of Italy was Milano, a city I only remember learning about during my Italian class in highschool where we had to remember a handful of major cities in the country. I had zero expectations, except for the idea that I would be seeing a lot of supermodels who dressed better than I did. (That part was true).

I had no idea that there was a Duomo in Milan (now I find it strange when I arrive in a city where there ISN’T a duomo to climb to the top of) but I was eager to see it because the duomo in Florence still remains to be my favorite piece of architecture, although Milan’s comes very, very close. As I expected, the duomo took my breath away. It looked so out of place and unmoving in an eerie sort of way. I couldn’t stop taking pictures of it in the hopes that I could capture its essence. I didn’t, of course, but at least I tried.

Climbing to the top was far less challenging than Florence’s duomo (although I wouldn’t know firsthand) but surely just as worth it. I remember standing at the top staring out across the city. I’m not sure how long we all stood up there. Again, I felt out of touch with time wandering around such a historic monument. I wish I could articulate the feeling.

The last day of the trip, we were given the option to travel to Lake Como. After seeing some of the images, I knew I had no choice but to go, and I’m so, so glad that I did. It was the perfect way to end the trip even though the morning was pretty stressful. We only had about ten-ish minutes to buy our tickets and find seats on the train, but, thank goodness for Dr. Permenter, we all made it in time.

My favorite part of the day was spent in Bellagio, which is about an hour’s boat ride from Lake Como. It was the quaintest little town filled with small shops and restaurants. Although slightly touristy, Bellagio still felt authentic. My friends and I all wandered around for awhile before stopping to sit as close to the water as we could get. It was a beautiful day. I remember closing my eyes and just listening to the sound of the water hitting the rocks and the seagulls from above me. We even saw a mother duck swimming along with her babies, which was probably the cutest thing I had seen. We all ate at a really nice restaurant where I had the best ravioli I have ever had (RIP) and then we got gelato as well, which I’m sure Dr. O’Connor would be proud of. After that we regretfully got on the boat to Lake Como, which was still very nice but nothing compared to the beauty of Bellagio, at least in my opinion.

I wish I could relive that day over again. We were all ready to go home at this point, but the day had been so perfect and beautiful. I became so close with a small group of classmates and I wasn’t ready to leave them or Italy behind and return back to real life where all I did was work at a boring job and eat American food. At least I’ll always have the memories of that day. I am so grateful for this trip in its entirety, but even more so for the one perfect day it gifted me.