Between 1978 and 1982, long before we married, my wife Lopa lived and worked in Milano – Milan.

Today, 13 September 2026, more than 40 years after she left the city, we did a little sightseeing – the Duomo, the Galleria near the cathedral, La Scala, and the Stazione Centrale – and then we headed away from the tourist-infested areas to Via Paolo Sarpi, which is the main street in the district where Lopa resided.

One of the attractions of Via Paolo Sarpi is Pizzeria da Giuliano, which was founded in 1969. With a justifiably good reputation for its pizzas, this unpretentious restaurant was around the corner from the building in which Lopa had an apartment.  She used to collect pizzas to eat at home from this pizzeria. For old times sake, we ate lunch there, and enjoyed the tastier-than-average wood fired pizza slices. The place was filled with families enjoying Sunday lunches.

The exterior of Lopa’s flat at number 9 Via Albertini looks the same as it was when she lived there, but both Via Albertini and Via Paolo Sarpi have been pedestrianised since she left the area. Also, the shop that used to make and sell fresh filled pasta has gone, and has been replaced by a restaurant serving Japanese food.

Revisiting old haunts is always interesting.  Finding that some things have remained the same is satisfying. And in the case of Lopa’s former neighbourhood,  the changes since she left have not caused the area to deteriorate.