Photo Pest: Sunday in the Park with Jeff

A collaged giraffe--combining two of my favorite things-- greeted me in front of the Triennale di Milano an exhibition space in the middle of Parco Sempione.

I was en route to the Cimitero Monumentale and decided to briefly check out the Castello Sforzesco, which dates back to the Middle Ages. It was one of the largest citadels in Europe by the Renaissance and home to the Duke of Milan.

After the unification of Italy, Milan's government took possession; it now houses several museums but I decided the tomb's of dead citizens would be of greater interest.

The Torrre del Filarete, named for the architect who designed it, is visible from the other side of the park.

The Arco de la Pace bookends the opposite end of the park, just beyond a lake. During the Napoleonic era, the area between the two monuments functioned as parade grounds.

The stylish Triennale di Milano, more my speed, sits midway between the two.

I didn't know what to expect, nor did I have a lot of time. It mounted several different contemporary art exhibits under an umbrella theme, some of which required paid admission. Would you believe I spent almost as much on tickets to cultural attractions as I did on food while touring northern Italy?

Statistical graphs, two of which were mounted in front of what looked like a lavender Slinky, comprised one of the free exhibits.

There's clearly a lack of women's political leadership around the globe. Red areas denote countries with female heads of state; purple, female heads of government. No attempt had been made to update the information graphic in more than a year; it continues to show the deposed Sheikh Hasina as prime minister of Bangladesh.

The space also encouraged lounging

. . . and shopping.

I saw evidence of Italian support for the Palestinian cause in all the cities I visited, but none that packed the somewhat obfuscating aesthetic wallop of "471 Days." The title of the exhibit refers to the duration of time that elapsed between the October 7, 2023 terrorist attack on Israel and the initial cease fire on January 19, 2025. which lasted only eight weeks.

According to the installation's explanatory text, the lengths of red fabric represent the number of people killed each day. Casualty statistics on the steps below are given another dimension by thin rectangular plates stacked in what I'm guessing is the same number because the pile at the far left bottom signifies the first day of the attack when 1116 Israelis and 232 Palestinians were killed. Before-and-after satellite images of sites bombed by Israelis at the top of the stairs made a lot more sense.

Other installations were even more bewildering

. . . but the architectural beauty of the building could not be denied.

The nearby Torre Branca rises more than 350 feet above the park. Mussolini wanted Milan to have an Eiffel Tower of its own but also decreed that no structure could be higher than the Madonnino on top of the Duomo. Dedicated in 1935 during the fifth edition of Milan's Triennial art exposition, it took just 68 days to build.

The Arco de la Pace recalls another French monument. Construction lasted nearly three decades; Austrian Emperor Francis I (who, as the last Holy Roman Emperor, was also Francis II) dedicated it to the 1815 Congress of Vienna, a kind of Yalta conference that followed the defeat of Napoleon when major powers, including the French, the British, Prussia, Austria and Russia sought to bring peace to Europe by divvying up the continent.