The Milan Plan
- Faith Fire
- Oct 15
- 16 min read
We get asked regularly about the places God calls us to go to. However, Italy was never really on our radar for a country that The Lord would send us to. As almost everyone knows Italy has a very long and well known history that saw it's imperial peak during the centuries of the Roman Empire.
Originally we had gotten a prophecy from a well known Northern Ireland Prophet. He made it known there would be a call to visit Italy. This was around October 2023 during a conference in Northern Ireland.
From there I knew there was something about this from a dream I received sometime later. Yet I knew from the dream the timing was was not now. Many months passed, until 2025 and from this same prophet I got another prophecy advising me the time had come. However I had not seen this in visions or via dreams. The Milan Plan was taking shape.
Milan's famous Sforza Castle (Castello Sforzesco). The Milan Plan.
The thinking man of Milan.
Then around February 2025 The Lord gave me a dream of an airport and fishing in a river in Italy. This was more interesting and I was asking the Lord when we go and where. Then I received nothing more on this. It was a bit perplexing, though I waited on the Lord for His timing. I got another dream and then another, then a fourth. So the flights were booked and a hotel arranged. I know some French and a bit of German, however, almost no Italian. I had by this time reached out to some Italian Evangelical Churches in Milan and further South in as far as Modena. Tracts in Italian were ordered up from a supplier I've used before in America. Thankfully the tracts arrived quite quickly as I needed them as an inroad for striking up conversations. I often wondered what Italy would be like to visit? It has a very long history and heritage and is closely linked with Jesus and Biblical times. Indeed, Italy remains a significantly religious country today. My flight from Dublin Airport was through the night so when I arrived I was quite tired through lack of sleep. I think I did nod off for a while on the airplane, so it wasn't that bad.
From the airplane we flew over Switzerland, however with the extensive cloud cover, only the tops of some of the mountains were visible. One of these was the mighty Matterhorn. It was visible in the distance from the air.
This is all I was able to see of Switzerland from the airplane (right). No green valleys, roads or houses. Just endless white clouds. We were advised by the captain that there was rain at the airport. That was not exactly welcome, but, it has to rain sometimes.
Thankfully the rain had eased on arrival.
Flying over Switzerland.
The Matterhorn is the upper of the three.
Thankfully I had booked a coach from the airport to Milan Central Train Station. This was a fortuitous move as I will explain a bit later.
All roads lead to Milan?
A typical view of housing on the outskirts of Milan.
Graffiti seems to be quite widespread here in Milan.
The coach ride in from Bergamo Airport to Milan was a bit longer than I thought. It appears to be the farthest of Milan's three main airports. At fifty five kilometers, it is wise to book the coach. A taxi will cost you between eighty and one hundred euro's. $$$ You have been warned! The views along the way consisted of a lot of industry and retail sectors. Some of the industries I recognized as they are internationally known. Closer in I saw some of the more typical residential flat and apartment's typical of Milan's outer city area.
From the Milan train and coach station I was able to walk the one and a half kilometers to the hotel. (The picture opposite does not do the building justice, as its a huge structure). The hotel itself was a bit puzzling as it's entrance was not on the main street where it's hotel sign stood proud. No, it was around the back street, this was not the Milan Plan. That said the hotel was clean, the staff cordial and room was a good size, wood paneled and overall quite quiet.
The Milan Train and coach Station
At this stage, it was around one in the afternoon local time. I unpacked my kit, googled the best tourist hotspots and headed off. This was Monday 17th March 2025. (Yes I know that 17th March is St Patrick's day in Ireland, however, seeing Italy was a great thing to do).
Where else to start off than Milan's famous Cathedral. This is a truly imposing building near Milan's Centre. At the time of my visit, it's exterior was undergoing some significant restoration. Parts of the facade were behind netted curtains and hoardings. Nonetheless, it's ornate stonework carvings, fixtures and gargoyles could be seen. There were queue's for entering the cathedral, however I wanted to be outside in the improving weather.
Centering around the cathedral square I began talking with visitors. Many were tourists like me coming from far away countries. Firstly I will show a picture of the Cathedral from across the square.
I remained around the Piazza del Duomo Square and offered to take pictures for other visiting tourists. I spoke of Christianity and offered Bible tracts. The response was usually good.
I went away to get some food and came back towards the square. I heard a saxophone playing and a guy on the end of it. I went over and got speaking with him. His name was Pedro; I'm not sure if he was homeless though I gave him some money. He was grateful for this. At the square itself I continued offering to take photos and got speaking with a visiting French lady. I didn't get her name though she was appreciative of the pictures and accepted some Bible tracts.
Pictures of the Cathedral side and the square facing its front end.
The Piazza del Duomo Square.
The Milan Cathedral
Cathedral and Piazza del Duomo Square.
On the Tuesday 18th March 2025, it was time to take a wider look this side of Milan. This was a dry and a reasonably bright day in the city. There was a strong wind blowing, which made it cold. The decision was to walk in the opposite direction of the Cathedral and towards the train station. I happened upon a market a about a third of a mile or half a kilometer away from the station. Lots here to buy. I purchased a couple of leather belts, passed some tracts out and headed for the hotel.
The Tuesday Market in Milan.
I freshened up and went back to the Cathedral square and passed out tracts to some guys giving out bird seed for those wanting to feed the pigeons. These pigeons will eat out of your hands and are very tame. At the Cathedral square there was a plethora of nationalities, including from China and Japan; Americans, and European nations.
When I got the chance I took a photo of the central door of the Cathedral. The door was an impressive bronze casting of various Biblical scenes. What seemed a little peculiar was that some people were touching; rubbing the calf muscle of one of the figures. I suspect this may be a depiction of the Apostle Peter, though I'm not quite sure.
The central bronze doors at the Cathedral.
This is the central of the three sets of bronze doors that guard the front of the Cathedral. I watched as some people were rubbing and kissing the leg of the figure. (This figure has his back turned and centrally located towards the bottom of the door).
My advice as always is, if you have a Bible, read and study it. If you don't have one, buy one. What did the Apostle Paul tell the people of Philippi? Philippians: 2 verse 12, "So then my beloved, just as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling". We are to work out our own salvation. The Lord says in the Book of Hosea: 4 verse 6, "My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Because you have rejected knowledge.
I spent the rest of the afternoon helping people take pictures of themselves in the square and passing out tracts. I enjoyed a further walk along the main streets passing out yet more tracts. This was the Milan plan.
Modena.
Now, come Wednesday 19th March 2025, I had always planned to take a day and travel south east to Modena. Modena is a lot smaller than Milan, and it took the best part of two hours to get there. On the train there were people begging and I provided some money to a young mother.
On this train I struck up a conversation with a young lady called 'Gabrila' (pronounced Gabriella). She was from Brazil and was studying a Masters Degree in family law in Italy; she planned to return to Brazil when she graduates in December 2025. She was heading to Bologna Parma and got off a few stops short of Modena. I said I would mention her in this blog, so here it is.
I don't have a photo of Gabriella so a picture of the side of the Cathedral in Modena will suffice presently.
From the discussion we had, I thought of a quote from an American novelist Anna Quindlen, who said to the crowd this at a graduation ceremony; 'all of you want to do well, but if you don't do good, doing well will never be enough'.
The Church Square in Modena.
In Modena, it was a quaint and historic City. Very much a lesser visited part of Italy, though well worth a look around. I went into the Cathedral and took some photos of the decorative walls and architecture.
The Cathedral Square in Modena. The Milan Plan.
Pictures and depictions of some of the Apostles from inside the Cathedral.
Apostle Luke
Apostle Mark
Apostle Matthew
It is well known that further south in Italy there is the famous leaning tower of Pizza.
However, did you realize there is a lesser known leaning tower connected to the Cathedral in Modena?
I will apologize as to get this picture in had to use a 'fish-eye' lens to get the shot. But, look closely at the cathedral wall to the right of the tower. Very clearly, the tower is leaning to the right.
This tower is known as the Torre della Ghirlandina locally. I didn't try to see if you can climb up it, however if I return again to Modena I might well try, just to get a better view of the city from high up. If you go there, I would recommend getting up there for the 'birds-eye' view.
A last view from Modena. (The Milan Plan).
Above: is the Modena train and bus station. The Milan Plan.
Right: is a picture of the front of the Cathedral. You will also note the overhead power lines in the picture right. This is for the electric busses that service this part of Modena.
I did give out a single tract in Modena, though for some reason I did not feel led by the Spirit to do more there. As it took a long time to get to Modena, when I returned to Milan I hopped on a different train provider and had to pay a premium to get back to the city. You will need to be aware of this fact. It cost me another twenty three Euros.
To other evangelists doing what I do, remember this, you can get things wrong. As I exited the station I was very tired, however there was a guy in a wheelchair, he saw my jacket with the cross on it. I continued to walk as I was already about thirty meters away. Thinking of it now, maybe I should have gone back and talked with him.
On Thursday 20th March 2025 I started out a bit later from the hotel. I was talking and praying to the Lord about where I should go. I headed from the Cathedral square and prayed around the front front of the Cathedral. Although I will mention that before I reached the square I noticed a homeless guy in front of a vert upmarket shop. I offered him a Bible tract in Italian, he was a bit abrupt with me and refused, speaking in Italian. I gave him some money only.
It was curious to notice barriers around the front of the Cathedral and the memorial at the other end of the Plaza. It turned out that a football match between Italy and Germany was taking place that evening. Some of the travelling fans were attired in their country's colors. Maybe these guys were eating too many bratwurst sausages? However it all seemed to be in good fun. The Milan Plan.
As I was taking the above photograph, I was approached by a couple from Romania. They were in Italy on holiday. They asked me to take pictures of them with their camera. A short conversation in English was struck up and I provided them some Bible tracts in English and one from the American Pastor and evangelist Lee Strobel. I explained this tract covered Strobel's coming to faith and there was a film about this called 'The Case for Christ'.
I remained for a while around the Square and noticed some tourists speaking in American and Canadian accents. They did not engage with me, which was a pity. Curiously, I was approached by a Spaniard called Oscar, he asked me for a light. He had a blanket draped around him. I was wearing the Faithfire Jacket with it's logo's so likely he would know I didn't smoke. We talked for a bit, gave him a Bible tract in Italian and some money.
After a while I made my way towards the Sforza Castle in Milan. It looks quite small from the gap between the buildings far away. It is however a large dominating structure.
The imposing clock tower entrance is approached by a railed causeway across a grassy moat. (FaithfireCMI.Com). The Milan Plan blog.
There are a number of attractions inside here and you could spend a number of hours in here looking at everything and taking in it's history.
As I was here on a different mission I didn't spend a lot of time in the castle itself.
One thing to be aware of was a number of young men from Senegal, who wanted to pray some kind or prayer over me and place on me some red string on my wrist.
I gave them a little money to get them to stop and broke off the red cord off my wrist. I inwardly rebuked and broke off what they tried to pray on me. You need to be careful who prays for and over you.
I took a quick look around this castle. Its impressive and well worth a look if you decide to visit Milan. I made my exit out another entrance at the side of the castle. Like the clock tower entrance it bridges across the grass moat around the outside structure.
Following my excursion to the castle I made my way across the roadway and down this long elegant street (opposite). Apologies I did not note what the street was called, however it was lined with designer shops and some pretty decent outdoor restaurants.
I sat down and had a pasta based meal and some local sparking water to keep me hydrated.
The temperature in March, in Milan appears to be around the 12 to 16 degree Celsius region. You still need to have some layers on you at this time of year. This day was sunny and in the sun it was warm and quite pleasant. The Milan Plan.
Following lunch I headed back around some of the less trodden streets of this side of Milan. Later I walked back in the direction of the hotel again. By my reckoning I was walking in excess of 16kms or 10 miles every day.
Another endearment of Milan is its tram system. These run regularly around the city area. My timeframe meant I was not able to go around on the trams; something I would have liked to do.
Some of the trams look very old, that just adds to their charm and adds a sort of aged patina to the city.
I would recommend taking the trams to driving around Milan. I would leave the latter to the locals.
The Milan Plan.
Speaking of using local transport. Another curious thought, was that throughout my stay in Milan, I only spotted one racing cyclist. This was unusual given Italy's pedigree and cycle racing history and background. I could float names like Coppi, Moser, Pantani, Nibali etc. At this time of the year it appears the racers train elsewhere. The Milan - San-Remo 'monument' road race was on the 22nd March, the day I was going back home. Regrettably, it did not start in Milan this year so I could not go to watch the race start. Something else is important too, during my stay in Italy, none of the cyclists and commuters wore helmets. This is in contrast with most cyclists in Britain and Ireland who do. My thoughts are that people don't want their hair style ruined? If you have a better or more reasonable thought, you can email me at info@FaithfireCMI.Com.
Walking back towards the hotel I came past this chapel (left) and a man who was standing at the front door approached me. He asked for money I gave him some and asked if I could pray for him. He agreed.
He seemed well enough dressed though I perceived he needed some spiritual help. I prayed for this guy and I afterward I gave him a Bible tract, which he accepted.
The book of James: 5 V 16 says; "Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another so that you may be healed. The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much".
How can you trust the Bible? Well, this James (above), was Jesus's half brother!
That evening I bought a sandwich and took it back to the hotel as I didn't need to eat much more.
That evening I wrote a teaching for a TV channel the Lord allows me to appear on in India. I will talk a little about this later on. The Milan Plan had an Indian flavor coming.
Friday the 21st March 2025 was a more cloudy day. Following leaving the hotel, instead of heading towards the Cathedral, I walked down Buenos Aries Street. There was an Italian man begging at the side of the street. He wore a surgical mask. He had a sign at his side saying "I'm hungry". So I went to a local fast food outlet and bought a hot pizza and a bottle of fizzy orange. I went back and offered it to the man; he was indignant. On reflection maybe I should have asked and offered him money.
The Milan Plan. FaithfireCMI.Com blog.
As I circled Buenos Aires Street I noticed another person begging, he took the orange drink, but refused the Pizza, he was a Muslim man and it contained Salami. Another 10 minutes later there was another person begging and he gladly took the Pizza. So, praise God both the pizza and the orange drink were consumed.
I walked up towards the parkland where the planetarium which is adjacent to the City library is. The library is an imposing building of a substantial size. The parkland stretches around the back and one can walk around it. There is a bandstand, water pools and places for children to play. Indeed, I saw a T-Rex at the front of the Library, he wasn't one for much conversation though. (Who knows what 'tales' he could tell)?
I walked back towards the Cathedral, though took a different route passing by some very opulent looking shops. Something struck me as I passed along here. There was a very expensive jewelry shop selling bespoke gold and other adornments. Directly across the street was a homeless man in a tent. I wrote in my journal that night 'a homeless man and high-society on the same street, remarkable'. I didn't get to talk with him as he got back inside and zipped his door closed.
The Milan Plan. Blog.
Along another street was this building with an erection date of 1722. It had a series of carved figures on its wall. How Italian and interesting.
Back at the Cathedral it was busy as usual. Then close to the cathedral I noticed a shop selling kitchenware, and, it had the most interesting Swiss army knife I had ever seen. It had more blades on a knife than I thought possible. (See below).
Then nearby, a guy had grabbed the lower halves of two female mannequins'. He was photographed by me 'legging it'! (Making a run for it). (See below).
Later at the hotel I was busy preparing a teaching for India. However the next morning it was raining.
Saturday 22nd March 2025. It was raining in the morning and I had few options for transmission of my teaching from Milan Italy to India. The hotel management did not have a conference room I could use for an hour. The kindly let me use the hotel dining room. As the internet connection was not good, we only got around 20 of the hour long transmission out to India. My original plan was to go to the park where the Milan Library was and transmit from there. But then, the best laid plans and all that.
The Milan Plan. Blog.
We cannot forget the very grand 'Galleria Vittorio Emanuelle II' shopping arcade beside the Cathedral. It's a 19th Century glass roofed and domed masterpiece. Designed by: Giuseppe Mengoni.
This arcade shopping center houses some very prestigious brands. This is one of the places where the wealthy come to shop.
It's designed in the shape of a cross and the roof is ironwork and plate glass. The fresco, marble and mosaic floors are a delight.
You can also dine out here at one of Italy' many fine restaurants. Or indeed, get a cup of coffee, something light to eat and watch the world go by.
Statue of Leonardo DaVinci.
Later on Saturday the rain stopped and I was able to make the trip back to the train and bus station as mentioned above.
All in all an interesting city and destination. To the North of Milan is Lake Como, a major tourist spot, idyllic holiday center and location. Italy is a country which has a long and very interesting history. Some of it violent and brutal, then again Christianity really took hold first in the Roman Empire.
I believe there is a renaissance in Christianity taking place here and what it means to the Italians. They are a passionate and expressive culture. They love food, art and life's basic simplicities.
To finish I will quote from the Book of Romans' how fitting in Italy.
Romans: 10 V 14 - 15 "How then will they call on Him in whom they have not believed? How will they believe in Him whom they have not heard? And how will they hear without a preacher" Verse: 15, "How will they preach unless they are sent?
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' The Milan Plan ' | Faithfire Christian Ministries Ireland - 2025.
Our next blog is about a visit to the Netherlands (Holland) and a prophetic conference at a Church in Amsterdam.
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