Five Reasons to Visit Milan, Lombardy's Capital
Northern Italy's Center For Fashion, Business, and Finance
Jul 21, 2009
Anyone who's visited Milan will agree that it's a city like no other in Italy. It's foggy in winter, muggy in summer, and as one well-known Italian tour operator described it: "Closer in outlook as well as distance to London than to Palermo. No city of la dolce vita, Milan is one in which time is money, the pace is fast, and where consumerism and the work-ethic rule the lives of its power-dressed citizens."
So what's its attraction for tourists? Why throw yourself to the wolves of haute couture and wrestle with captains of industry when could opt for a quiet villa in Tuscany or a cosy pensione in Assisi? Try these five reasons:
Architecture: The Duomo
Milan was home to some of the area's greatest families during the fourteenth, fifteenth, and sixteenth centuries. These dynasties were devoted patrons of the arts and commissioned lavish palaces, churches, and paintings. For a firsthand look at one of the most impressive, begin at Piazza del Duomo, Milan's main orientation point and the site of one of the world's largest Gothic cathedrals.
Unquestionably, it's the most spectacular monument in the city, and those with an interest in architecture will have a field day following the various styles that characterize both its interior and exterior.
Construction began in 1386, but it wasn't completed for nearly 500 years. Built mainly of white marble with more than 130 spires and countless gargoyles, the façade is an intriguing combination of styles ranging from Gothic to Neo-Classical. As with most medieval building projects, it became a massive multi-cultural effort, with French and German masters called in to work with Lombard stonecutters and architects. Its massive interior has 52 giant pillars dividing the aisles.
Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II
This architectural gem is Milan's centerpiece. Home to touristy cafés, shops, restaurants, the Galleria is familiarly known as il Salotto di Milano, Milan's drawing room. With a floor plan shaped like a Latin cross, and its center adorned with inlaid mosaics, the galleria is an architectural gem. Its most stunning feature, most agree, is the two-winged glass- and metal-roofed arcade that connects Piazza del Duomo to Piazza della Scala.
Opera: La Scala
This famous eighteenth century opera house is one of the largest theaters in Europe with some of the best acoustics in the world--so good, performers do not use microphones! La Scala is best know as an opera house, but also hosts ballet performances and classical concerts throughout the year, except during August. For a small taste of the history of La Scala, explore its adjacent museum, created in 1913, and view its fabulous collection of sculpture, autographs, paintings, costumes, and artefacts related to the theatre.
Art and Leonardo Da Vinci
No one should visit Milan without a sampling of Leonardo da Vinci-painter, sculptor, architect, and musician-a man who spent 17 years working here. His not-to-be-missed masterpiece The Last Supper, restored seven times since it was painted between 1495 and 1497, is perhaps the most visited. The fresco is located in the fifteenth century convent of Santa Maria delle Grazie (2 Piazza Santa Maria delle Grazie).
Other examples of Italian Renaissance and Baroque masters-Mantagna, Raphael, Tintoretto, Caraveggio, and della Francesca, to name a few-can ve found at Pinacoteca di Brera (28 Via Brera), which houses Milan's finest art collection. The Brera neighborhood-full of winding, narrow streets, low buildings, hidden courtyards, and a lovely botanic garden-is also worth exploring for a glimpse of Milan's charming past. Its central location and authentic local color have turned this ex-craftsmen's quarter into a hot spot for nightclubs, cafés, and bars.
Fashion in Quadrilatero
Shopping in Milan is both an art and a science. If you come armed with lots of Euros, you can shop 'til you drop. Second only to Paris in terms of haute couture and high prices, it recently surpassed New York as the center of high fashion.
The fine art of shopping without regard to price is done in Quadrilatero, and area that includes Via Montenapoleone, dell Spiga, Sant'Andrea, Monzoni, Borgospesso, and Santo Spirito. This area contains the most prestigious boutiques and showrooms in the fashion world; a place the Milanese like to say is "where luxury is the true protagonist."
The science of finding a bargain in Milan is best carried out on four streets devoted almost exclusively to this purpose: Corso Vittorio Emanuele, Buenos Aire, di Porta Ticinese, and Via Torino. Here you'll find more affordable designs in large stores like Rinascente, H&M, and Zara, along with sophisticated label shops like Bruno Magli, Max Mara, Furla, and Pollini.
Milanese Cuisine: Tiramisu, Ossobuco, Panettone
Cafés, restaurants, trattorias, and pizzerias showcase world-class Lombard cuisine. Milanese specialties such as risotto with saffron, costoletta (breaded veal cutlet), wafer-thin bresaola (cured, raw beef), ossobuco (veal shin slow-cooked in tomato and wine), polenta (made from corn meal), and pasta of all shapes are among the most popular in this region.
For dessert, the most traditional are biscotti, a handmade biscuit with nuts, or panettone, a soft yeast cake made with sultanas. Gorgonzola, Bel Paese, Grana Padano, and Mascapone cheeses are all classics of the Lombardy region and definitely require a tasting before leaving.
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