Departure from the routine

It sounds amazing but I have been in Milan for 4 days and have not seen the "sights" or indulged myself in the shopping district. I have a well worn track from my hotel room to the Conference centre and with the day starting at 8:30 and finishing at 6pm I have not had the opportunity (or quite frankly the energy) to get out and about. Well that all changed on Tuesday evening. IFLA arranged a social evening for the attendees. The Italians do not do things by halves as we arrived in the Central square of Milan (in front of the DUOMO) the giant advertising screen was welcoming all IFLA delegates.




We dined at outdoor cafes and soaked up the atmosphere while sipping espresso and indulging in gelati (when in Rome!) I was accompanied for the evening by my colleague Andrew Stephenson.


After dinner we headed for a "concert for IFLA" at the Duomo. Concert with Harp and Stradivari Violin. It was extraordinary below is a short video from the night with the musicians playing Aria in Fa (Bach).





The evening was topped off with exhibition of Luca Paciolo's book De Divina Proportione illustrated by Leonardo da Vinci and we also got a preview of two sketches of Leonardo's Atlantic Code prior to going on show to the general public in September.




I feel really privileged be the here and exposed to not only these treasures but all the different views, different experiences and international perspectives.


Being immersed in such rich cultural heritage and extraordinary treasures makes me even more aware of how young Australia is as a nation. People here talk in terms of multiple centuries not which in not common when talking about our own history.