It is another day off here in Milan, as another trainer, Owen Fitzpatrick, takes his turn in the NLP Master Practitioner course.
It is rare that I have chance to do the sight seeing tours, but today I think I will get to know a little bit more of Milano after over ten years of visiting this Italian city.
On previous visits to Italy, as other countries, I have scheduled my arrival and departures so that I walk off the aircraft and go straight to the course venue, and at end the course, to go directly to catch the plane home.
The one exception of note was with Gianni Golfera, the Man with the Biggest Memory, with whom I co-operate and work with, delivering Mind Mapping and PhotoReading training in Italy. (click to see dates)
I gave some training in Rome, with Lucia Falang as my translator to a lively group of participants. It came as a surprise to know that Lucia, an Italian who knew Rome well, had never been to the Vatican, to St Peter’s Basilica. Being only a fifteen minute walk from the course venue, there was no option but to take Lucia to see and experience this center of the Roman Catholic religion, a place I visit often to take in the atmosphere, history and to learn more, even if I am not a member of the church.
Lucia Falanga, one of my Italian translators at Saint Peter’s, Vatican, Rome
As we walked into Saint Peter’s, I noticed tears in Lucia’s eyes, and I left her for a moment to absorb the atmosphere and go through any emotions she needed to.
As we walked around the basilica, I became the tour guide I often find myself as, pointing out the sculpture of the The Pieta, Mother Mary holding Christ (see previous entry click here), another monument where the Italian artist Bernini created a world globe, hiding the UK with the foot of one of the human figures, as the Vatican was against the British at the time as the Crown, the King, had broken away to form the Anglican Church (click to see here).
It was a quick tour of the Vatican, as Gianni, Lucia and myself were to drive up from Rome to Milan, the next venue for the PhotoReading and Mind Mapping courses, with a stop-over in their home town of Luca.
Along the way we passed though many historic and beautiful towns, stopping on occasions to take-in and saviour parts I Italy I would love to learn more about some day.
The steep walls of the town of Aorte
The narrow streets of Aorte
My jouney through Italy would take me down many twists and turns and bring me more experiences which I will write about soon.