Il Massimo del Gelato, Milan, Italy

As a dessert on top of this Milan coverage, I give you, gelato!! And Mama Mia!!! THIS is THE place in Milan, possibly all of Italy for gelato.

I believe there name could have two meanings:
1. The owner's name.
2. Massimo also seems to translate to "maximum" or "highest", which I'd say is fitting here.

Tucked down a quiet street in the northwest side of town, it's an amazing place to taste and try all the gelato flavors you've never thought you could have:

Pera / Pear
Giandua / Nutella
Stracciatella / Chocolate Chip
Fleur di Latte / Flower of Milk
Mango
Pistacchio
Chocolate-Rum (Jamaican)
Spicy Chocolate (Azteco)
and so many more.

Just look...

I was only able to hit this place up three times during the week-long trip. Partly due to finding it late, and partly due to not planning properly. I would have gone everyday if I could have, and tried new flavors each day... still, I did alright...

Azteco (Spicy) Chocolate & Pistacchio

Straciatella & Giandua

Selfless selfie with my gelato "dealer" (she mans their register)...

I must also point out, like a Classic American, I went into this gelateria and placed my order without having Euros on me. Bonehead. I asked this nice older lady (mostly with visuals), "Can I use credit card?" No. "Can I use American dollars?" No. So, they actually let me take the first taste of their gelato without paying for it and told me to pay them the next time I came in. I went back the next day before dinner with some Euros and paid them. How about that though?!

And finally...

 Pera Williams / Cannella (Cinnamon)

Passagiare Due, Milan, Italy

On this 2nd walk, we went right into the heart of the "touristy" part of Milan, so I could check off some of the normal tourist boxes. It was a good amount of walking, but a great way to see these sights. It was pretty stress-free and such a good look at htis venerable city.

Sights include, castle, arches, a fountain, their cathedral (Duomo), and I really enjoy simple pics down streets in the neighborhoods...

From the Duomo area over the nearby shopping district...

And finally, about midday, we stopped for lunch at a local pizzeria. Full on wood-oven, even a celebrity photo of Julia Roberts in the mix (and I know what you're thinking, "why not Eric Roberts?", I don't know)...

After lunch, as we made our way back to the hotel, we found ourselves going through a more modern area, which has a distinctly different feel than their historic downtown...

Passagiare Uno, Milan, Italy

First up is a look from the balcony/deck of the office in Italy. Pretty nice place to eat lunch or grab a "heater"...

This second set of images were taken during a walk (passagiare) that afternoon in the local neighborhood that we stayed in. I started from our hotel and wound up going through some of their "Chinatown"...

These kinds of walks might be about a third of the fun of being in a foreign country, for me at least. There's some much new stuff to see, do and sometimes eat. I think it's a great way to get a feel for the country, city and people.