| Set in the middle of the northern Italian plains, Milan is not your average Italian city. Its Gothic cathedral, Austrian-influenced cuisine and well-administered public services are all signs that Milan, while Italian at heart, has developed a truly European feel. For centuries an affluent commercial center, more bent on the production of wares and wealth than on the administration of power, Milan’s spirit is embodied in its proud middle class facades, as well as civic institutions such as the Pinacoteca di Brera and the La Scala opera house. While the canals and the Darsena docks bustled with incoming wares, Milan’s citizens smugly settled into a comfortable, if slightly provincial, worldview. Even the 19th century Bohemian Scapigliati poets and artists, who inhaled opium in Brera attics, ultimately became contented burghers. However, the 20th century brought with it not just the many industries that until recently dominated the outskirts of town, but also masses of factory workers, bringing with them left-wing ideals. What is more, the emerging textile and furniture industry combined with the good taste that the Milanesi had honed over centuries, initiated a fashion and design Renaissance. From the 1960s, the era of “bel design”, Milan has remained central to the design world, even in this day of postmodern trends. At the same time, the city, heavily bombed by allied forces in 1942-43, was transformed by a massive if often misguided reconstruction. It is only in this postindustrial age that many urban spaces are being reconfigured, warehouses transformed into apartments and art galleries, factories into cultural centers. Nowadays, Milan combines its comfortable provincialism, typified by a cuisine featuring risotto alla Milanese and osso buco, with a canny drive to work hard and gain the center stage in fields as diverse as classical music and international trade. The calm pleasure of enjoying good things combined with the excitement of innovations together make Milan an appealing place to live. While Milanesi work hard, they also remember the dolce vita, meeting up at the end of the day for an aperitif—Campari was invented in Milan—in a streetside café; going to soccer games between Inter Milano and AC Milan, the two prominent local teams; taking weekend trips to ski in the Alps, stroll around the Italian lakes, or take in Venice or one of the charming northern Italian “cittŕ d’arte,” art cities such as Padua, Verona or Mantua. Life is fun in Milan. This short guide should help you start enjoying it. |
