Milano, Milan is Italy's second largest city, and the largest city in Northern Italy's Lombardy Region. What it's most famous for isn't its size, but it's style. Along with London, Paris and New York, Milan is one of the fashion capitals of the world, and the Milanese have a style unto themselves. But it's not just about fashion. Milan has a rich artistic community with international events and festivals, including some of the most important opera and theatre events in Europe. Even the most opera-resistant human being knows The Teatro alla Scala aka La Scala. Given all of this, it's no surprise that Milan is also the richest city in Italy, and in fact, one of the wealthiest cities in Europe. In fact, it's one of the major financial and commercial centers in the world. To put it in perspective: it's the home of the Alfa Romeo car. But, then again it's also the home of the sweet Italian bread-cake associated with Christmas, Panettone. And that brings us to food!
Every region in the country has its own special cuisine and signature dishes. Milan's include Risotto alla Milanese, which is a risotto with saffron, Osscobucco alla Milanese, bresaola and polenta. So if you're planning on dieting to fit into your new designer fashions on your way to the opera, good luck!
Then again, you can work off the food on your shopping expeditions. For shoppers interested in checking out the design headquarters of some of the world's most famous fashion houses, you'll want to take a walk around what is known as the Quadrilatero della Moda. This refers to an area bordered by four streets: via Montenapoleone, Borgospesso, Sant'Andrea and della Spiga. But you absolutely have to go the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele in the Piazza Duomo a place that proves that shopping can be educational: Its allegedly the oldest shopping mall in the world. Hey, even medieval teenagers had to have somewhere to hang out, didn't they? There's also the Brera district where you can check out art galleries and trendy shops. And for a more of a bohemian flavor, there's the Navigli quarter with fashionable restaurants, art galleries, antique stores and shops. It's busy day and night.
Now I haven't waited this long to talk about art and architecture because its not a big deal. On the contrary. In the middle of Milan, you'll find the Duomo with its spires and pinnacles indicating its late gothic period design. On top is the golden statue of the Madonna (the original one). She is the city's symbol. If you're standing there, then you just have to look around and you'll see a wave of churches and buildings representative of the architecture from several great eras of Milan's past. Milan is also home to one of the most famous, beautiful and controversial pieces of art in the world, Leonardo da Vinci's "The Last Supper". The painting is on a wall in the refectory, the dining hall, in the church Santa Marie delle Grazie, exactly where the great master painted it in the late 1400's. You'll find other many other masterworks in Milan: The Museum of Science and Technology, which is housed in a former monastery, has several of Leonardo Da Vinci's prototypes. Michelangelo's Pieta Rondanini is at the Sforzesco castle. The Brera Gallery has some of the most important works of Italian art, that were once removed from churches and monasteries by Napolean. And the Civic Museum of Contemporary Art in the Royal Palace always has something interesting going on. The patron saint of Milan is Saint Ambrose, whose saint's day is December 7th. If you're an arts and culture junkie, it's a good day to be in Milan. That's when all of the organizations dedicated to the arts strut their very best stuff.
|
