Ciao bella!
It’s Emma here, your resident Pink Tutu enthusiast, and I’m bursting with excitement to tell you about my whirlwind trip to Milan! It was a complete and utter dream come true. As I mentioned last week, I had a show at Teatro dal Verme on New Year’s Eve (and yes, I danced in a stunning pink tutu!) which earned me enough to indulge in a bit of travelling. I haven't had time to visit this city before so I was super excited. This beautiful city, with its architecture and amazing shopping was definitely on my list of must-visit places. And I certainly wasn't disappointed.
I arrived on a chilly Wednesday morning, ready to explore Milan's magical streets. My first stop, of course, was the Duomo. This iconic cathedral is simply breathtaking. I spent hours marvelling at its intricate details, and taking photos, because what’s a girl to do when she’s dressed in pink tulle with an incredible cathedral backdrop?! There’s also this amazing view of the city, perfect for the ultimate #pinktutugram photo!
From there, I wandered through the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, the city’s oldest shopping mall. Now, I’m no stranger to indulging in a bit of retail therapy but, let me tell you, this place is on another level. I must have walked around that space about a million times! From luxury designer shops to boutiques filled with beautiful, eye-catching accessories, it really had something for everyone. Naturally, I had to buy a couple of new things (the shopping bag was definitely heavier on my way back!) but more on that in my next post.
Being a massive fan of Italian style and culture, the whole trip felt super inspiring for me as a performer. The fashionistas around the place really make a statement and I took lots of mental notes. A lovely young lady, Lucia, approached me on my second day at the Duomo and we chatted about her love of fashion. She took pictures of me wearing my pink tutu on my phone and we laughed a lot about how pink tutus look good anywhere, and why all ballerinas (and the rest of the world!) should wear pink tutus. It turns out she wants to set up her own online fashion boutique - how cool is that?! Anyway, I was happy to tell her how inspiring it is to see young entrepreneurs chasing their dreams and wish her luck! I really enjoyed the connection we made, and of course I shared a pink tutu inspirational post with my lovely readers on www.pink-tutu.com using #PinkTutuMilan.
Milan's charm lies not only in its sights but in its street food and cafés as well. The smell of freshly baked bread wafting through the air is divine. I savored steaming cups of espresso at cute little cafés, making the most of those blissful Italian moments where you slow down and appreciate your surroundings. Don't get me wrong - I'm always on the go, but sometimes you just need to relax and indulge!
One of the most delightful parts of the trip was a lovely little boutique café with adorable pink chairs, where I devoured a delicate panino - all the while trying not to get too much bread on my pink tulle! They had the most amazing selection of macarons, which, of course, I couldn't resist! These are little works of art and deserve to be shown in museums! I indulged in every flavour: lemon, pistachio, vanilla and raspberry - each one melting in my mouth, like a little ballet step in your mouth (although I don't think there's a real ballet step that describes that!).
On a quieter day I wandered through the city on foot. Exploring Milan is easy because of the wonderful network of tram lines and the gorgeous walkable streets with little cobbled side roads leading off from them. It's almost as if every cobbled alleyway hides another delicious surprise, a beautiful palazzo, or even just another photo opportunity to catch with my phone, my tutu floating out behind me as I take a new snap.
While the Milan Ballet didn't have any performances this week, I caught a fabulous performance by the Accademia Teatro alla Scala at the Teatro alla Scala – one of the most beautiful theatre buildings I have ever been to! What a privilege it is to share the passion of dance with audiences from all walks of life, all around the world! You just can’t beat the thrill of those opening curtains and the roar of the audience! The performances are always so varied; classical ballet one night and maybe an energetic contemporary work the next. What I really love about travelling is the opportunity to get to know more about different cultural traditions and share my passion with fellow ballet enthusiasts, wherever I am. This trip was all about enjoying every delicious, inspirational moment.
And on that note, I must be off. My schedule is packed next week with rehearsals for another show at The Queen's Hall in Edinburgh (did I mention I’ll be dancing in my lucky pink tutu of course!).
If you happen to be in the area and have seen me dancing in a pink tutu - I’d love to meet you!
But until then, keep swirling!
Love,
Emma
xx
P.S. This week's post, like all my Pink Tutu Blog posts, was inspired by my personal adventures! It has a few bits of creativity and exaggeration thrown in for fun, but at the core it is real! I’ve made an effort to be factual when talking about venues and other bits, and my journey is entirely genuine and supported through performing! Remember to use the hashtag #PinkTutuMilan for all your Milan based pictures, and be sure to pop over to www.pink-tutu.com to find more on Pink Tutu!
