The old saying goes that for every church in Rome there’s a bank in Milan. As the economic powerhouse of Italy, the northern city prides itself on efficiency and energy, and regards the Romans as idle and unproductive, distracted by the southern sun and gagged by the Vatican. Understandably perhaps, Milan sees itself as the true capital of Italy. Not only is it the industrial and financial capital, but it has forged ahead to become the country’s most dynamic and influential city.
For decades now, Milan has been the leading fashion centre, the capital of publishing, media and design, and home to two top football teams. But to the Romans it remains a misty grey city, populated by slick yet unscrupulous workaholics.
Work hard, play hard
Milan certainly has a strong work ethic, and is more in tune with a Northern European business centre than the typical Italian city of sunny piazzas and leisurely lunches. But it is by no means a city of all work and no play. La dolce vita is not played out in the same way as it is down south but for style and a contemporary buzz, no other Italian city comes close.
As for cuisine, if you choose well, even fast food can be of Slow Food quality. Traditional inns offer hearty soups and stews, creamy risotto and stuffed pasta, as well as charcuterie ossobucco (veal shank) or gorgonzola and mascarpone cheeses. As for partying, the after-work aperitivo has become a Milanese way of life. Stylish bars serve sensational cocktails, with stuzzichini (snacks) and elegant canapés, while the old-fashioned pasticcerie (pastry shops) are equally enticing. Milanese nightlife revolves around the bar scene in the chic Quadrilatero fashion district, in the bohemian Brera, along trendy Corso Como, in the boisterous Navigli canal quarter, and in the cosmopolitan area around the Cathedral.
La bella figura
The city is synonymous with fashion, and the Milanese enjoy cutting-edge consumerism. Twice a year, at the opening of the world-famous fashion shows, the paparazzi descend on the city’s hip hotels and cocktail bars. The stylish restaurants and sushi bars are then packed with celebrities, supermodels and fashionistas.
In the Quadrilatero d’Oro shopping quarter
Glyn Genin/Apa Publications
A leading city
‘What happens in Milan will happen tomorrow in Italy. What is thought in Milan will be thought in Italy tomorrow.’ – Italian historian Gaetano Savemini.
But at any time of year the locals cut a bella figura, and in the chic Quadrilatero d’Oro (Golden Quadrangle), where the designer boutiques provide a non-stop fashion show, the stores are more like art galleries than shops, and range from one-off boutiques to Slow Food superstores and designer megastores. At the glamorous Dolce & Gabbana on Corso Venezia, men’s fashion comes with a barber and Martini bar. In the sleek Via Manzoni area now known as ‘Armani-hood’, the designer’s neighbourhood is colonised by Armani branded clothes, chocolates, flowers, home furnishings, a café, club, sushi bar, and even an Armani hotel. Prices at these snooty spots are not for the faint-hearted, but there are plenty of more affordable shopping options along Corso Sempione, complemented by the arty boutiques in the Brera or quirky vintage in the Ticinese quarter.
The rise of Milan’s fashion houses
Milan has been making fabric since medieval times but its meteoric rise as the fashion capital only began in the 1950s, when it took over from Florence. The top designers found the dynamic metropolis more conducive to creativity, and Milan is now a base for Armani, Versace, Prada, Dolce & Gabbana and Gucci. Unsurprisingly, a futuristic ‘Fashion City’ is currently under construction in the emerging City Life district.
On Planet Fashion, you don’t so much name-check the designer brands as breathe them, sip them, eat them, sleep them, and even live their dreams. All the designers are getting in on the lifestyle act, adding bars, spas or restaurants with gay abandon. You could wake up to a coffee in the Gucci Caffè in the Galleria or risk a close shave at the Dolce & Gabbana barber’s. Armani, the master of minimalism, reigns supreme on Via Manzoni, with a superstore, club and chic eateries matched by a swish new hotel around the corner. Roberto Cavalli, where more is always more, responds with a fashion-victim café on Via della Spiga and his Just Cavalli supper club in Parco Sempione.
Milan is the foremost city in Italy for furniture as well as for fashion. The exciting Triennale in Parco Sempione, formerly devoted to the decorative arts, is home to Italy’s first design museum. The major international fashion, furniture and design shows now take place at Fieramilano, Massimiliano Fuksas’ bold trade fair complex at Rho Fiera. Reached by metro, and constructed on a former industrial site, this sail-shaped structure is where Expo 2015 was held, a glorious showcase for the city.
Cultural confidence
Milan may not offer the rich architectural heritage or homogeneity of Florence or Venice, but the city has a sumptuous Gothic cathedral, a historic castle in a leafy park, and one of the world’s most prestigious opera houses. The Refectory of Santa Maria delle Grazie reveals what is arguably the most revered image in the Western world: Leonardo da Vinci’s The Last Supper. Art museums range from the Pinacoteca di Brera and the Pinacoteca Ambrosiana, both filled with works by Italian masters, to intimate ‘house museums’ such as the Poldi-Pezzoli. Modern art is showcased in the exciting new Museum of the 19th Century while cutting-edge design can be found at the revamped Triennale.
Though little survives of medieval Milan, a pocket remains in Piazza Mercanti, whose Palazzo della Ragione attests to the wealth of the13th-century merchant city. During the Renaissance, Milan became a centre of art and culture, where geniuses such as Bramante created monuments while Leonardo (for more information, click here) adorned palaces and churches with great works of art. Navigable waterways were also created to link to the River Ticino in Switzerland and enable huge blocks of marble to be transported for the Duomo.
Most of the city centre comprises imposing boulevards and stately palazzi planned during three and a half centuries of foreign rule. The most conspicuous legacy dates from the Austrian occupation, represented by neoclassical monuments such as the Teatro alla Scala and the Palazzo Reale (Royal Palace).
Tram passing La Scala opera house
Glyn Genin/Apa Publications
Until the 1950s, the tallest building on the city’s skyline was the Duomo. Now a clutch of skyscrapers supersede it, including the sleek City Life towers springing up in the former trade fair district. At 231m (758ft) and with a dramatic spire, the ultra-modern UniCredit Tower, near Porta Garibaldi railway station, is currently the highest structure in the city. Designed by Argentinian-American architect Cesar Pelli, the tower opened in 2012 and is the headquarters of one of Italy’s largest banks – UniCredit – and forms an crucial part of the Porta Nuova business district.
The markets, art and antiques shops of the bohemian-chic Brera neighbourhood, cutting-edge Tortona, the CityLife district, and the quirkier Navigli quarter showcase the creative side of contemporary Milan.
Location and quality of life
Lying 50km (30 miles) south of the Alps in the heavily developed Po Valley, Milan is the capital of Lombardy, the most populous region in Italy. Milan’s location makes it an ideal destination for excursions to neighbouring cities of art, such as Pavia, Bergamo and Brescia. And should you need a break from bustling streets and cultural overload you can quickly escape – like the Milanese – to the tranquillity of the lakes and mountains, less than an hour away.
The city itself covers an area of around 180 sq km (70 sq miles) and has a population of around 1.3 million, making it the second-largest city in Italy. With the suburbs included, the number swells to over 5.5 million. Milan is contained within a series of concentric circles radiating from the centre. The main historical monuments, museums, galleries and exclusive shops are conveniently concentrated within the inner ring of boulevards, formerly a circle of canals (the Cerchia dei Navigli). The Spanish constructed a second perimeter in the mid-16th century by building city walls, extending 11km (7 miles) around the city and incorporating four main gateways. By the end of the 19th century, the city was bursting at the seams again, and the Spanish bastions and the gateways were gradually demolished to push the city further out. Today, the outermost ring road, the Circonvallazione Esterna, encompasses residential suburbs and industrial estates. The city is still expanding, particularly northwards, and continues to attract waves of economic migrants, from other parts of Italy and further afield.
However, such popularity comes at a cost to quality of life. Milan has finally woken up to green concerns and improved its parks, particularly Parco Sempione, but has also created a new park in City Life, encircling the future Museum of Contemporary Art. The canals, which already provide a brief respite from urban life, are being expanded to provide yet more access to landscaped parks via cycle lanes – as well as favouring leisurely boat trips on inland waterways developed by Leonardo da Vinci. In a bold new move to combat pollution, the city has introduced a congestion charge system within the inner ring of boulevards. This, in turn, has encouraged cyclists to take to the roads.. Such a positive response from most Milanese has led to the instigation of experimental ‘no traffic days’ when the city centre is awash with bicycles, and birdsong can once again be heard coming from palatial secret gardens. There is also a public car-sharing system, called GuidaMi, which discourages private ownership and promotes the use of electric vehicles. Contrary to its frenetic reputation, Milan is finally learning to relax.
Patron saint
The Milanese refer to themselves as Ambrosiani, after Sant’Ambrogio (St Ambrose), patron saint of the city.