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Milan

Travoley
Milan
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Milan Travel Guide

  • About Milan
With massive urban sprawl and a reputation for being the cold Lombard capital, Milan doesn’t feel like a quintessentially Italian metropolis, but with settlers from all over the country making their home here, visitors will find all of Italy in one city.With massive urban sprawl and a reputation for being the cold Lombard capital, Milan doesn’t feel like a quintessentially Italian metropolis, but with settlers from all over the country making their home here, visitors will find all of Italy in one city.Known as a centre of fashion, finance and football, Milan is indisputably the country’s most stylish city. Trendy bars and boutiques rub shoulders in the back streets, while on the busy thoroughfares mighty towers signal the city’s superior economic clout. Milan is also the home of two big football clubs, A.C. Milan and Inter Milan, who share the historic San Siro stadium.As the epicentre of Italian fashion and interior design, there is certainly a buzz about the city. International fashionistas, designers, supermodels and paparazzi descend upon Milan twice a year for its spring and autumn fairs. Many high-end designers still use the city’s trusted producers and it remains one of the best places in the world to shop.Despite the air of modern flair, there is a rich history here too. Cut through the modern metropolitan bustle, and you will stumble across countless impressive churches and palaces. Start with the breath-taking Duomo di Milano in the city centre, a colossal Gothic cathedral, one of the largest in the world. Then there’s the Santa Maria delle Grazie church, which houses Da Vinci’s restored Last Supper painting, and survived bombing raids in WWII.There is plenty to see near the Duomo too, including the city’s fabled opera house, La Scala, and Sforza Castle, a grand medieval fortress. Nearby is Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, an ancient and glamorous arcaded shopping gallery.Not all of Milan’s aesthetic appeal lies in the historic centre. The pretty Navigli area in the south has become popular for its many bars and restaurants, as has the chic Brera district and lively university quarter.Meanwhile, former industrial areas are undergoing urban renewal schemes, such as the old Fiera area, which includes new apartments, a park, a contemporary art museum and a trio of futuristic skyscrapers. It’s bold reinvention like this which reminds us that Milan is truly Italy’s most dynamic city.
  • Milan History
Milan’s history stretches back to a Celtic settlement in 400BC. It was conquered by the Romans in 222BC and later became the capital of the Western Roman Empire.As the Empire declined over subsequent centuries, the city was invaded by many different groups, including the Visigoths, Huns and Lombards.During the Middle Ages, Milan flourished as a trade hub. From the 13th and 15th centuries, the powerful Visconti family ruled and brought a period of glory and wealth to the city. Under them, the magnificent Duomo cathedral was built in 1386.Although Milan grew as in important Renaissance city from the 15th century, it would have to put up with French, Spanish and Austrian rulers until Italian unification in 1871.The Kingdom of Italy had, in fact, been declared by Napoleon at the turn of the 19th century, but when his occupation ended in 1814, the Lombard region, including its capital of Milan, came under Austrian control. The Austrians were finally given the boot in 1859 after numerous Milanese rebellions.Although Rome was appointed the capital after the final phase of unification, Milan swiftly became the real economic and cultural leader. It developed into a pivotal industrial base, with rail links expanding out from the city, and Milanese banks gaining financial dominance over the country.It was here that the fascist leader Benito Mussolini rose to prominence in the early 20th century. He and his followers marched on Rome in 1922, seizing control of the country. As a centre of Italian fascism, Milan was bombed heavily by the Allies during WWII. It’s a miracle that so many historic treasures survived from this period, including La Scala opera house, Castello Sforzesco and The Last Supper by Da Vinci.After the war, the population increased as southern migrants came seeking work, and modern skyscrapers such as the Velasca and Pirelli Towers began to pop up. By the 1980s, many fashion houses that were based in the city (including Armani, Versace and Dolce & Gabanna) became globally successful and Milan was transformed into one of the world’s leading fashion capitals.
  • Did you know?
Leonardo Da Vinci’s The Last Supper suffered a direct hit from an Allied bombing raid, but survived because the wall it adorned in the church of Santa Maria delle Grazie was sandbagged. Although he has gone down in history as one of the world’s most infamous fascists, Mussolini was originally a prominent figure in the Italian Socialist Party and the editor of its newspapers. He was ousted for his vociferous support for Italian military intervention in WWI. Work may have started on Il Duomo in 1386, but construction continued for hundreds of years afterwards, with additions and ornamental detail being added to the façade as recently as the 19th century.
  • Weather in Milan
Milan has a humid subtropical climate characterised by hot summers and cold, foggy winters. Fashionistas arrive en masse to attend the semi-annual Milan Fashion Week in February and September respectively. There are also numerous trade fairs throughout the year that might pique your interest.Spring (March to May) is mild but wet. Temperatures gradually increase from 10°C (50°F) in March to 19°C (66°F) in MaySummer (June to August) promises hot and sunny weather, though it can be humid. The average temperature in August is 25°C (77°F).Autumn (September to November) starts off warm but rain starts to fall in October, so pack a raincoat with you.Winter (December to February) is mild but foggy. Bring warm clothes as temperatures can drop to 4°C (39°F) in December. Many shops also offer very tempting discounts during the Christmas season.

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