Human interest interview with Mila Sommer
Love is a force of nature. That’s what jewellery hawker Mila Sommer said in regards to how her life ended up. Mila was born 27 years ago in Basel, Switzerland. Currently, Mila sells jewellery in the streets of Venice, Italy. How does a Swiss girl find herself living in the city of canals? It all comes back to love.
Mila first met her boyfriend Paolo when she was studying in Zurich. Paolo was a traveller and the two instantly connected. Paolo stayed with her in Zurich for three weeks, but eventually had to head back home to Venice. The two tried to keep their relationship going long distance, but after 6 months they were finding it troublesome. That is when Mila bought a ticket to Venice to meet up with Paolo again.
Paolo’s family has made jewellery for years. Nothing extravagant, but small, pretty pieces that tourists would be happy to buy as a keepsake or memory. Mila connected with them easily enough, and often tagged along with Paolo as he sold the wares in the streets. As a foreigner herself, she felt drawn to the multitudes of people she saw streaming through Venice daily. She loved the bits of small talk, learning tidbits about people’s culture, jewellery tastes, life, passions, and reasons for visiting.
Mila has been living in Venice for almost three years now, and she doesn’t think she could live anywhere else. As a non-native Venetian herself, she felt proud about being able to help Paolo and his family keep traditions in place, as well as make other non-Italians enjoy their trip more. She hopes that maybe someone will come up to the city and find a love that could keep them rooted to Venice like she is.
Cultural Reflections
Milan - Living in the lap of luxury
When you think of places with a couture lifestyle Milan comes to mind fast. Right after Paris, Milan is the fashion capital of the world. Milan blends old style architecture seamlessly with the high power pace of modern life.
The Milanese people have focused their city to be centred in on the Duomo, which is the second largest cathedral in the world.
Just half a block away from this grand gothic renaissance building, you’ll find the present pride of Milan, the shopping. The Galleria is a picturesque building that houses dozens of storefronts. With a focus on luxury and high-priced options, the Galleria may not be everyone’s cup of tea to shop in, although the beautiful sights are enough to prompt a walk through the grounds.
Personally, my experience shopping in the Galleria was unforgettable. From combing through the two Prada stores to other brands like Louis Vuitton and Moncler, there was a real air of importance and decadence. After shopping in Yves Saint Laurent for a wallet we were treated differently with luxury bags in hand. It seemed like my eyes were opened to how the opulent few of the Milanese people can live their lives.
Wien - the Classic Golden City
Wien may be the last bastion of culture and history from the Early Modern period until the early 20th century. Wien, or Vienna as some may know it, became the city it is today mainly because of their ruling family, the Hapsburg’s. With their influence Wien is a city ripe with beautiful architecture, museums, and artifacts. You must also remember that Wien is the city where Mozart realized his worldwide reputation, and his legend is still strong today.
Walking through the historic inner city you will find beautiful baroque-style architecture intermixed with the culture and lifestyle of modern day Wien. Just across the square surrounding the beautiful St. Stephen’s cathedral there are luxury shops, tourist opportunities, restaurants, and street food like donair or wurst.
The personal experience that encapsulates Wien the most to me comes from walking through this square. After being stopped by a Mozart impersonator I bought $25 euro orchestra tickets. That evening I ventured down to the Wiener Musikverein’s Golden Hall and listened to an hour and a half of different orchestra and opera music all performed by musicians dressed in stereotypical Mozart-esque clothes.
Wien is the city to visit if you’re interested in the finer things. Be it food, shopping, music or culture, you’ll find it in spades in Wien.