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About Milan
Milan (Italian: Milano) is the main city of northern Italy, located in the plains of Lombardy region, about 30 miles south of the Alps. It is very near the Lake district, including Lakes Como and Maggiore.
The German name for the city is Mailand, while in the local Western Lombard dialect, the city's name is Milán, pronounced quite as in French.
It is presumed Milan was originally founded by the Celts of Northern Italy around 600 BC and was conquered around 222 BC by the Romans, who gave it the name of Mediolanum. Milan's name comes from the Celtic Medelhan, meaning in the middle of the plain, due either to its location in a plain close to the confluence of two small rivers, the Olona and the Seveso, or perhaps due to its being close to and roughly equidistant from two major rivers, the Ticino and the Adda. Its Latin name, Mediolanum roughly meaning wool in the middle.
In the 4th century, at the time of the bishop Saint Ambrose and Emperor Theodosius I, the city was briefly the capital of the Western Roman Empire. At that time Milan was the second largest city in Europe, with more than 300,000 inhabitants. St Ambrose is now the Patron Saint of the city.
In the 11th century, after the Ostrogothic and Lombard periods, the city regained its importance and led other Italian cities in gaining semi-independence from the Holy Roman Empire. During the Middle Ages Milan became one of the most rich and powerful cities of Europe (due its commerce and industries) and conquered and influenced great part of northern Italy. At the start of 13th century the city touched the number of 200,000 inhabitants and during the Plague of 1349 Milan was one of the few places in Europe that was untouched by the epidemic, but it was deeply affected by the plagues of 1402 (50,000 deaths), 1542 (80,000), 1576 (17,000) and 1629 (also known as Great Plague of Milan, 70,000 deaths). During the Renaissance Milan was ruled by dukes of the Visconti and Sforza families, who had artists like Leonardo da Vinci and Bramante at their service. After trying to conquer the rest of northern Italy in the 15th century, Milan was conquered by France, and then later on by Austria (Habsburg), then given in the early 16th century to the Spanish Habsburg line to rule.
In the 18th century Austria replaced Spain as Milan's overlord, because the Spanish line of Habsburgs died out. But the French Revolution and the Napoleonic Wars saw the city annexed into the French satellite states of the Cisalpine Republic, which later became the Kingdom of Italy. After this period, Milan was part of the Kingdom of Lombardy-Venetia under Austrian rule. Milan eventually became one of the main centers of Italian nationalism, claiming independence and the unification of Italy.
In 1859 (after the second of the Wars of Italian Independence) Austrian rule was ended by the Kingdom of Sardinia (which transformed into the kingdom of Italy in 1861). The newly formed Savoy monarchy encouraged the use of the Neo-Renaissance style as a way to express patriotism, an excellent example of which is the Bagatti Valsecchi Museum in via Gesù.
As a critical industrial center of Italy, Milan was the target of continuous carpet bombing during World War II. The city was bombed even after Pietro Badoglio surrendered to the allied forces in 1943 - Milan was part of Mussolini's Italian Social Republic puppet state, and an important command centre of the German Army stationed in Italy. When war in Italy was finally over, April 25, 1945, Milan had been heavily damaged and entire neighborhoods such as Precotto and Turro were destroyed. After the war, the city was reconstructed and has again become an important financial and industrial centre of Italy. More than the 30% of the buildings were completely destroyed and another 30% were so heavily damaged that they were demolished in the first years after the war. Most of those buildings are located in the city centre. Hundreds of buildings built in the last 1,000 years were lost.
The city is one of the major commercial and financial centres in the World. It also holds its share of artistic and historical sites, including the largest Gothic cathedral in the world.
The city is famous for fashion firms and shops (via Montenapoleone) and the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele in the Piazza Duomo, reputed to be the world's oldest shopping mall. Milan is one of the world capitals of fashion—like New York City, Paris, London, Tokyo—and design. Another famed product of the city is the traditional Christmas sweet cake Panettone. Milan is also famous for the Alfa Romeo motorcar and for its silk production. Milan is also one of the richest cities in the European Union.
Inhabitants of Milan are referred to as Milanese (Italian: Milanesi).
Places to see
The Duomo is the world's largest Gothic cathedral and the third largest church in Europe. Building began in 1386 and lasted nearly 500 years! Its marble facade is magnificent and its roof has 135 spires and 3200 statues. Its piazza is the hub of Milan. There is also a museum.
La Scala is a very famous opera house seating over 2000 people. Built in 1778 it has a very opulent interior. You can also visit the museum.
The Biblioteca Ambrosiana contains drawings and notebooks by Leonardo da Vinci among its vast holdings of books, manuscripts, and drawings, and is one of the main repositories of European culture.
Pinacoteca di Brera, originally started by Napolean, is Milan's most prestigious art gallery. It holds a huge collection of over 600 works in 40 rooms.
Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II is a huge glass-roofed shopping arcade lined with expensive shops, bars, and restaurants. Built in 1867, it links the squares of the Duomo and La Scala and has mosaics with the symbols of the cities forming the newly united Italy.
Castello Sforzesco was originally built in the 15th century by the ruling Visconti but was destroyed and rebuilt by the Sforzas soon afterward. It became a museum complex in the 19th century and and is one of Milan's major landmarks.
Santa Maria della Grazie contains Da Vinci's famous fresco, the Last Supper. Although the building was bombed in 1943, the fresco survived. To visit, it is necessary to book in advance.
Sant'Ambrogio is the fourth-century church of Milan's patron saint. Inside are many relics, carvings, and mosaics.
