Milan is among the biggest cities in all of Italy, and is set in the area of Lombardy. With a population of over 1,300,000 people, Milan is considered one of the best-developed urban sprawls on the Continent.
It’s also one of the world's foremost commercial and financial centers, being among the richest cities in the EU and renowned as a capital of the fashion industry, with famous shops along Montenapoleone Street and the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele in the Piazza Duomo. The city has hosted major events like the 1906 World Expo, the FIFA World Cup in 1934 and 1990, and is trying to become the home city for the 2015 Universal Expo.
Milan was first inhabited around 400 BC, when Celtic tribes populated the region, but the Romans soon conquered the settlement and remained in control of it for many years thereafter. In 293 AD, the city was named capital of the Western Roman Empire, but within two hundred years of this promotion a series of sieges by Visigoths, Huns and Ostrogoths left the city all but in ruins. It recovered through the Middle Ages, only to be brought down once again by Frederick Barbarossa’s war against the Lombard cities in 1162. This resulted in the founding of the Lombard League several years later, and the independence gained thereby turned Milan into a duchy, with Gian Galeazzo Visconti becoming the first duke of Milan. Finally, Milan was passed to the House of Sforza in 1450, making it one of the most prominent cities of the Renaissance.
However, the 18th Century saw the death of Charles II and the subsequent War of the Spanish Succession. In 1704, French forces were conquered in Ramillies and Turin, yielding northern Italy, and Milan along with it, to the Austrians. But Napoleon conquered the region in 1796, after which Milan was declared capital of the Cisalpine Republic. Once Napoleon’s reign had ended, Milan was returned to Austrian governance in 1815. During this period, Mozart wrote three operas in Milan, and La Scala premiered Bellini, Donizetti, Rossini and Verdi.
Following the Battle of Solferino in 1859, Milan was incorporated into the Kingdom of Sardinia, which soon gained control of the rest of Italy and was renamed the Kingdom of Italy. Quickening industrialisation placed Milan at the top of the pile economically, while Milanese banks dominated Italy’s market, bringing about a huge expanding in area and population during the course of the next two centuries. Milan suffered heavy damages from bombing during World War II.
Milan’s specialties in the area of cuisine include fried veal in breadcrumbs, pork chops and sausage with Savoy cabbage, risotto with saffron, white wine and bovine marrow, and stewed beef with wine and potatoes. There are also some great seasonal desserts, such as the cookies called chiacchiere and tortelli during Carnival, dove-shaped Easter cakes called colomba, and panettone during Christmastime. The most notable of Milanese cheeses is the gorgonzola, which is common all around the world but never as delicious as it is when sampled from the source!
Some of the highlights:
The Duomo, which is the second-largest cathedral in the entire world, contains the biggest collection of marble statues ever, including the golden Madonna on top of its spire, being the symbol of Milan.
The Teatro alla Scala is one of the most important opera houses in the world, and recently underwent a major renovation.
Sforza Castle is a castle that houses an art gallery, and dates back to the 14th Century. Its art collection includes Michelangelo's final sculpture and a manuscript by Leonardo da Vinci.
The Biblioteca Ambrosiana contains an immense collection of books, manuscripts and illustrations, being one of the main repositories of European culture. Drawings and notebooks by Leonardo da Vinci can also be found here.
The Church of Santa Maria delle Grazie is where you’ll find one of the most famous paintings in the whole world, "The Last Supper" by Leonardo da Vinci.
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