Get blown away by Milan (Lombardy) - Italy's fashion city
See historic Milan and take in a da Vinci
Here's our free guide to Milan
Milan (or Milano) built on the Lambro river is one of Italy's
major northern cities with a population of just under 1.5
million Milanese as they are called. Milan is located in
Lombardy - a flat region given over to plains and huge fields of
wheat, grain and grassland; Lombardy being one of the main
agricultural regions of Italy.
Milan's flat surroundings can make for a bleak winter with only
moderately hot summers and cold winters with a high wind-chill
factor as the winds rush in off of the plains. It is the same
surroundings, though, which make Milan a perfect railway hub
with lines leading off to Rome, Bari, France, Austria,
Switzerland and Albania.
Milan has two football teams - AC Milan and Inter Milan; both of
whom play at the same stadium, the San Siro.
In more recent years, Milan has become the fashion centre of
Italy and its very name gives rise to the English word
'Milliner'. The Milinese take fashion very seriously and
appearances are everything. The evening stroll in the piazza or
sitting down in a designer-shaped chair in a bar or roadside
cafe is the place to see and be seen by your fellow Milanese.
This passegiata as it is called is very much a ritual - partly
for courtship and partly for showing off ones new purchases.
Tourists stand out from the Milanese by their more casual attire
so if you want to blend in, dress up.
Milan's main culinary contributions are its salami (called 'Milano')
which is available throughout Italy from just about every
supermarket delicatessen and the world-famous Gorgonzola cheese
which is named after a nearby town.
Milan also hosts paintings and drawings by Leonardo da Vinci
including his famous 'The Last Supper' which can be found in the
church of Santa Maria delle Grazie and many of his drawings and
sketches which are held at the Biblioteca Ambrosiana.
Places to see in Milan include:
- Bagatti Valsecchi Museum
- Basilica of Sant'Ambrogio
- Biblioteca Ambrosiana
- Castello Sforzesco
- Cimitero Monumentale di Milano
- Duomo - a huge collection of marble statues with Milan's symbol, a
golden Madonna statue fixed to the spire
- Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II
- La Scala - Milan is famous for its opera
- Musei del Castello
- Palaeo-Christian Basilica of San Lorenzo
- Pinacoteca Ambrosiana
- Pinacoteca di Brera
- Poldi Pezzoli
- Santa Maria delle Grazie
- Santa Maria presso San Satiro
We hope our guide will help you enjoy your trip to Milan.
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