A city of fashion, design, publishing, advertising and high-tech.
Milan (Milano), situated on the flat plains of the Po Valley, is the capital of Lombardy and Italy's richest and second largest city. Wealthy and cosmopolitan, the Milanesi enjoy a reputation as successful businesspeople, equally at home overseas and in Italy. Embracing tradition, sophistication and ambition in equal measure, they are just as likely to follow opera at La Scala as their shares on the city's stock market or their chosen football team, AC or Inter Milan, at the San Siro Stadium.
Milan is different from Florence, Rome and Venice in that its treasures have to be hunted down. Three times in its history, the city had to rebuild after conquest by foreign invaders. Founded in the seventh century BC by Celts, the city, then known as Mediolanum ('mid-plain'), was first sacked by the Goths in the 600s (AD), then by Barbarossa in 1157 and finally by the Allies in World War II, when over a quarter of the city was flattened. Milan had to make an art of recovery, successively reinventing herself under French, Spanish and then Austrian rulers from 1499 until the reunification of Italy in 1870. It is a miracle that so many historic treasures still exist, including Leonardo da Vinci's Last Supper, which survived a direct hit in World War II. The Milanesi's appreciation of tradition includes a singular respect for religion, to the extent that they even pay a special tax towards the Cathedral maintenance. It is therefore fitting that the city's enduring symbol is the gilded statue of the Virgin, on top of the Cathedral.
Milan's economic success was founded at the end of the 19th century, when the metal factories and the rubber industries moved in, replacing agriculture and mercantile trading (primarily in silk) as the city's main sources of income.
Since the 1970s, Milan has remained the capital of Italy's automobile industry and its financial markets but the limelight is hogged by the fashion houses, who, in turn, have drawn media and advertising agencies to the city.
Milan remains the marketplace for Italian fashion - fashion aficionados, supermodels and international paparazzi descend upon the city twice a year for its spring and autumn fairs, while the world looks on. Valentino, Versace and Armani may design and manufacture their clothes elsewhere but Milan, which has carefully guarded its reputation for flare, drama and creativity, is Italy's natural stage.
And now some suggestions to plan and enjoy your vacation in Milano.
