Milan

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This is about the Italian city of Milan. For other uses, see Milan (disambiguation).

Template:Infobox CityIT | 

 frazioni          =  |
 telephone         = 02|
 postalcode        = 20100|
 gentilic          = Milanesi|
 saint             = St. Ambrose|
 day               = December 7 |
 mayor              =  Gabriele Albertini (since June 10, 2002)|
 website           = www.comune.milano.it |

}} Milan (Italian: Milano; Milanese -dialect of Lombard-: Milán) is the main city in northern Italy, and is located in the plains of Lombardy, the most populated and developed region in Italy. The city proper has about 1,308,500 inhabitants (2004), but the population of the urban area (La Grande Milano, Greater Milan) is 4.280.820 people (2006 estimate). Calculated within European terms, Milan's metropolitan area covers an area similar to that of Paris with a population of more than 7 million people. Milan's so-called Città Regione (City Region) claims more than 9.4 million inhabitants. The Città Regione area is comparable to the Combined Statistical Areas (CSAs) of the United States.

Milan's name has for many centuries been recorded as Mailand, which is still the German name of the city today. It comes from the Celtic Medelhan (meaning "in the middle of the plain") and was known as Mediolanum by the Romans. In the local dialect of Lombard, the city's name is Milán.

Its province lies in the western part of Lombardy; it covers an area of 1,981 square kilometers and has a population of 3,839,216 (2005); in 1991, the population was 3,738,685. The province comprises 188 communes, ranging in population (2001) from Milan Municipality (1,308,311) to Nosate (638); the city of Milan has lost 113,084 inhabitants (8.3 percent), from 1991 to 2001.

The city is famous for fashion firms and shops (via Montenapoleone) and the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele in the Piazza Duomo, reputed to be the world's oldest shopping mall. Milan is one of the world capitals of fashion—like New York City, Paris, London, Tokyo and sometimes Miami and Sydney—and design. The city is one of the major financial and business centres in Europe. Indeed the English word milliner is derived from the name of the city. Another famed product of the city is the traditional Christmas sweet cake Panettone. Milan is also famous for the Alfa Romeo motorcar and for its silk production.

Inhabitants of Milan are referred to as "Milanese" (Italian: Milanesi or informally Meneghini or Ambrosiani from the patron of the city Saint Ambrose).

Milan hosted the World Exposition in the 1906.

Contents

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History

Template:Main It is presumed Milan was originally founded by the Celts of Northern Italy around 600 BC and was conquered around 222 BC by the Romans, who gave it the name of Mediolanum, due also to the location at the confluence of two rivers, the Olona and the Seveso, or maybe due to the relatively close distance from two major rivers, the Ticino and the Adda. In the 4th century AD, at the time of the bishop Saint Ambrose and emperor Theodosius I, the city was briefly the capital of the Western Roman Empire. At that time Milan was the second largest city in Europe, with more than 300,000 inhabitants. St Ambrose is now the Patron Saint of the city.

In the 11th century, after the Ostrogothic and Lombard periods, the city regained its importance and led other Italian cities in gaining semi-independence from the Holy Roman Empire. During the Plague of 1349 Milan was one of the few places in Europe that was untouched by the epidemic, but it was deeply affected by the plagues of 1402 (50,000 deaths), 1542 (80,000), 1576 (17,000) and 1629 (also known as Great Plague of Milan, 70,000 deaths). During the Renaissance Milan was ruled by dukes of the Visconti and Sforza families, who had artists like Leonardo da Vinci and Bramante at their service. After trying to conquer the rest of northern Italy in the 15th century, Milan was conquered by France, and then later on by Austria (Habsburg), then given in the early 16th century to the Spanish Habsburg line to rule.

In the 18th century Austria replaced Spain as Milan's overlord, because the Spanish line of Habsburgs died out. But the French Revolution and the Napoleonic Wars saw the city annexed into the French satellite states of the Cisalpine Republic, which later became the Kingdom of Italy. After this period, Milan was part of the Kingdom of Lombardy-Venetia under Austrian rule. Milan eventually became one of the main centers of Italian nationalism, claiming independence and the unification of Italy.

In 1859 (after the second of the Wars of Italian Independence) Austrian rule was ended by the Kingdom of Sardinia (which transformed into the kingdom of Italy in 1861).

As a critical industrial center of Italy, Milan was the target of continuous carpet bombing during World War II. The city was bombed even after Pietro Badoglio surrendered to the allied forces in 1943. In fact, Milan was part of Mussolini's Italian Social Republic puppet state, and an important command centre of the German Army stationed in Italy. When war in Italy was finally over, April 25 1945, Milan was heavily damaged and entire neighborhoods such as Precotto and Turro were destroyed. After the war, the city was reconstructed and has again become an important financial and industrial centre of Italy. See also: Rulers of Milan. More than the 30% of the buildings were completely destroyed and another 30% where so heavily damaged that were demolished in the first years after the war. Most of those buildings are located in the city centre. Hundreds of buildings built in the last 1.000 years were lost.

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Demographics

Milan is a very diverse city, being the second largest city in Italy, but it is the most industrial and main financial centre of the country. Many immigrants come from Asian and North African nations. A small percentage comes from Latin America. The city is 85% Italian, 4% from other EU countries, and the remainder 11% include Romanian, Egyptian, Filipino, Sri Lankan, Chinese, and Albanian.

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Economy

Milan is one of the major financial and business centres in Europe. The city is the centre of much finance, the seat of the Italian Stock Exchange (la Borsa Valori) and its hinterland is an avant-garde industrial area. Fiera Milano, the city's Exhibition Center and Trade Fair complex, is one of the most important in the world. This new fairground, in the north-western suburb of Pero and Rho (opened in April 2005), is Europe's largest open construction project, making Fiera Milano the largest trade fair complex in the world. Milan is one of the world capital for fashion and the world leader for design.

Milan was included in a list of ten "Alpha world cities" by Peter J. Taylor and Robert E. Lang of the Brookings Institution in the economic report "U.S. Cities in the 'World City Network'" (Key Findings, Full Report).

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Famous Businesses of Milan

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Architecture & Places

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Principal churches

  • Duomo (Milan cathedral)
  • Sant'Alessandro
  • Basilica di Sant'Ambrogio
  • Santa Maria delle Grazie (with Leonardo's "Last Supper")
  • San Babila
  • San Bernardino alle Ossa
  • Basilica di Sant'Eustorgio
  • Basilica di San Lorenzo Image:Pirellone.JPG
  • San Marco
  • Santuario di Santa Maria dei Miracoli
  • Santa Maria del Carmine
  • Basilica di San Nazaro Maggiore
  • Santa Maria presso San Satiro
  • San Sebastiano
  • San Simpliciano
  • Santo Stefano Maggiore
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Famous monuments

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Notable architecture

  • Duomo
  • Castello Sforzesco (Sforza Castle)
  • Ca' Granda (University of Milan)
  • Palazzo della Ragione
  • Palazzo Reale
  • Teatro alla Scala
  • Central Station (the biggest Italian station)
  • Palazzo Serbelloni
  • Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II
  • Velasca Tower
  • Pirelli Tower (seat of Lombardy Region and the highest italian skyscraper)
  • New Milan Fair Complex of M. Fuksas (in Rho-Pero)
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Culture & Art

Image:Puseevecc.jpg Milan is one of the most important centres in the world for Opera lirica, with its famous Teatro alla Scala (La Scala, theatre).

The Biblioteca Ambrosiana contains drawings and notebooks by Leonardo da Vinci among its vast holdings of books, manuscripts, and drawings, and is one of the main repositories of European culture. The city is also the home of the Brera Academy of Fine Arts.

In the church Santa Maria delle Grazie can be found one of the most famous paintings of Leonardo da Vinci: The Last Supper (it: "Cenacolo").

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Museums & Exhibitions

  • Pinacoteca di Brera
  • Pinacoteca Ambrosiana
  • Galleria d'Arte Moderna
  • Triennale di Milano
  • Castello Sforzesco
  • Museo Egizio
  • Museo Poldi Pezzoli
  • Museo della Preistoria e Protostoria
  • Museo d’Arte Antica
  • Palazzo Reale
  • Museo Teatro alla Scala
  • Padiglione di Arte Contemporanea
  • Museo di Storia Naturale
  • Museo della Scienza e della Tecnica "Leonardo da Vinci"
  • Galleria Vinciana
  • Museo Bagatti Valsecchi
  • Museo degli Strumenti Musicali
  • Museo delle Arti Decorative
  • Museo Archeologico
  • Museo di Milano
  • Museo di Storia Contemporanea
  • Museo del Risorgimento
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Theaters

  • Teatro alla Scala
  • Arcimboldi
  • Piccolo teatro
  • Teatro Lirico
  • Teatro Carcano
  • CRT - Teatro dell'Arte
  • Manzoni
  • Ventaglio Nazionale
  • Nuovo
  • Nuovo Piccolo Teatro
  • Piccolo Teatro di Milano
  • San Babila
  • Smeraldo
  • Ciak
  • Della 14a
  • Filodrammatici
  • Litta
  • Olmetto
  • Out Off
  • L'Elfo
  • Porta Romana
  • Franco Parenti
  • Teatro Studio
  • Verdi
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Universities

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Transportation

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Airports

The city has a large international airport known as Malpensa International Airport (MXP), located in the northern suburb of Busto Arsizio and connected to the downtown with the "Malpensa Express" railway service (from Cadorna Station). Malpensa was designed by the famous Ettore Sottsass. Milan also has the Linate Airport (LIN) within the city limits (for European and domestic traffic), connected with bus line 73 (from S. Babila). A third airport is Orio al Serio (BGY), close to the city of Bergamo. Vergiate, Bresso, and Parma are further airports in the region. The main 3 airports of Milano (Malpensa, Linate and Orio) comprise the largest and most important hub in Italy, both for passengers and cargo.

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Subways, tramways, and buses

Image:Loghi MSR - Milano.PNG Image:SFS-Milano.PNG

Milan has 3 subway lines (M1 - red, M2 - green, M3 - yellow) and the system, called Milan Metro - "M", running for more than 80 km. There is also a light metro-service, "Metrò S. Raffaele", connecting the S. Raffaele Hospital with the Cascina Gobba station (M2). Extensions of lines 1, 2 and 3 are under construction, to create more than 15 km of track with 10 new stations. Line 5 is also under construction, to be finished in the first half of 2008. Lines 4 (linking downtown with Linate Airport) and 6 are in planning stages.

Greater Milan also has one of the most extensive tramway systems in the world, with more than 286 km of track, and 20 lines.

93 bus lines cover over 1,070 km between them. The local transportation authority (ATM) transported more than 600 million passengers in 2003 .

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National Railway

Milan is one of the most important railway hubs of Italy, and the 5 major stations of Milan are among Italy's busiest:

  • Milano Centrale (passenger station - the second busiest Italian station)
  • Milano P.ta Garibaldi (passenger station)
  • Milano Lambrate (passenger station)
  • Milano Rogoredo (passenger station and cargo station)
  • Milano Greco (passenger station)
  • Milano San Cristoforo (passenger and cargo station)
  • Milano Porta Romana (passenger and cargo station)
  • Milano Certosa (passenger station)
  • Milano Smistamento/Scalo Farini (cargo-trains).

Three new stations for passenger service are under construction:

  • Milano Romolo
  • Milano Tibaldi
  • Milano/Rho Fiera

High speed train lines are under contruction all across Italy, and new lines will open from Milan to Rome and Naples, and from Milan to Torino. The stations for the TAV (Treni ad Alta Velocità - High Speed Trains) will be:

  • Milano Rogoredo (for the south)
  • Milano Certosa and Milano/Rho Fiera (for the west)

A line from Milan to Venice and then to Trieste is under construction. At the end of the work, the TAV station for Milan to the east will be:

  • Milano Pioltello
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Regional-Metropolitan Railway services

The Suburban Railway Service ( "S" Lines, a service similar to the French RER and German S-Bahn), composed of 8 suburban lines and 10 more scheduled for 2008, connects the "Greater Milan" to cities such as Como and Varese. The Regional Railway Service ( "R"), instead, links Milan with the rest of Lombardy and the national railway system. The "Passante ferroviario" is an underground railway serving a couple of "S" lines and is very much like another subway line (and is even marked as such on subway maps), except that it is connected to the FNME and Trenitalia suburban networks.

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Taxis

Milan has a taxi service operated by private companies and licensed by the City of Milan (Comune di Milano). All taxis are the same color, white. Prices are based on time elapsed and distance traveled. As the number of licences is kept low by lobbying of present taxi drivers, prices are fairly high (significantly higher than, for example, in New York) and finding a taxi may be difficult in rush hours.

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Sports

Football is the most important sport in Italy, and Milan is home to 2 world-famous football teams: A.C. Milan and Internazionale. Milan is the only city in Europe whose teams have won both the European Cup and the Intercontinental Cup. Both teams play at Giuseppe Meazza - San Siro Stadium (85,700). Many of the strongest Italian football players were born in Milan, in the surrounding metropolitan area, or in Lombardy: Valentino Mazzola, Renzo De Vecchi, Paolo Maldini, Giuseppe Meazza, Giacinto Facchetti, Gianni Rivera, Paolo Rossi, Luigi Riva, Gaetano Scirea, Giuseppe Bergomi, Walter Zenga, Antonio Cabrini, Roberto Donadoni, Gianluca Vialli, Silvio Piola, Virginio Rosetta, Giampiero Boniperti, Giuseppe Dossena, Gabriele Oriali, Giuseppe Signori, Ugo Locatelli, Giampiero Marini, Aristide Guarneri, Paolino Pulici, Giovanni Trapattoni, Franco e Giuseppe Baresi, Luigi Cevenini, Virgilio e Giuseppe Fossati, Giovanni Ferrari...

  • The famous Monza Formula One circuit is located in the suburbs. It one of the world's oldest car racing circuits, and one of the most famous. The capacity for the F1 races is currently around 137,000 spectators, although in the 1950s the stands could hold more than 250,000. It has hosted an F1 race nearly every year since the first year of competition, exception made of 1980.
  • Olimpia Milano is a successful European basketball team that have won 3 European Cups, a World Cup, 3 Winners' Cups, 2 Korac Cups and 25 National Championships. It is the most important Italian team and one of the top 5 in Europe. Olimpia play at the Forum (capacity 14,000).
  • The Amatory Rugby Club Milano have won 18 National Championships and are the most famous and important Rugby team in Italy.
  • Different ice hockey teams from Milan have won 30 National Championships between them. The Vipers Milano have won the last 4 national championships, the Alpenliga and several Coppa Italia, and are the leaders of that sport in Italy. They play at the Agora Stadium (capacity 4,500) during the regular season, and at the Forum during playoffs .
  • Every year, Milan hosts the Bonfiglio Trophy Under 18 Tennis Tournament. It is the most important youth tournament in the world, and is played at the Milan Tennis Club. The central court has a capacity of 8000. Past winners include Tacchini, Kodes, Panatta, Barazzutti, Moreno, Bjorn Borg, Smid, Ivan Lendl, Guy Forget, Curier, Goran Ivanisevic, Yevgeny Kafelnikov, and Coira.

Milan and Lombardy are candidates for the Summer Olympic Games of 2016 (Milan-Lombardy 2016).

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Stadiums

  • Autodromo Nazionale Monza - car and motorcycle racing - 137,000
  • San Siro - only football - 85,700
  • Arena Civica - Athletic, Rugby, Football, 30,000
  • Brianteo - Athletic, Football - 18,568
  • Ippodromo del Trotter - Horse Racing - 16,000
  • Ippodromo del Galoppo - Horse Racing - 15,000
  • Forum di Assago - Basket, Ice Hockey, Volley, Music - 13,000 to 16,000
  • MazdaPalace - Basket, Volley - 13,500
  • Velodromo Vigorelli - Cycling, American Football - 12,000
  • PalaLido - Basket - 5,000
  • Agorà - Ice Hockey - 4,000
  • Nuovo Giuriati - Rugby - 4,000


There are other stadiums and multiuse palaces located in the metropolitan area, the biggest being Monza Brianteo Stadium (18,000 seats), the PalaDesio (10,000) and Geas Stadium (8,500).

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Communication & media

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Newspapers

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Magazines

  • Panorama (weekly)
  • La Settimana Enigmistica (weekly)
  • TV Sorrisi & Canzoni (weekly)
  • Oggi (weekly)
  • Marie Claire (weekly)
  • AnnaBella (weekly)
  • Explora (monthly)
  • Focus (monthly)
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TV and radio

  • Mediaset (National Hdq)
  • RAI (Milan Regional Hdq)
  • MTV (South-Europe Hdq)
  • Sky Italia (National Hdq)
  • Radio Deejay (National Hdq)
  • R101
  • Radio 105
  • Radio 24
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Sister cities

Milan has 14 sister cities:

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See also

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External links

Template:Commons

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Milan Photo Gallery

Duomo

Duomo

The Madonnina Statue on top of the Duomo

View of the rear of the Duomo

The inside of the Duomo

Leonardo Da Vinci Horse Statue at the Hippodrome

Piazza Duomo

Piazza Duomo, the Arengario Museum

Sant'Ambrogio Basilica

Sant'Ambrogio Basilica

Naviglio Grande

Naviglio Grande at night

Naviglio Grande, Vicolo Lavandai

Sant'Alessandro

San Vittore

Sant'Eustorgio Basilica

Sant'Eustorgio Basilica

San Fedele

Porta Ticinese

Cimitero Monunemtale, the Famedio

La Scala Square and Theatre

Cadorna Square: Ago & Filo monument

Financial District

Torre Galfa

Pirelli skyscraper

Pirelli skyscraper

Pirelli skyscraper

San Siro Stadium

San Siro Stadium

San Siro Stadium

Certosa di Garegnano

Inside the Certosa di Garegnano

Stazione Centrale

Corso Vittorio Emanuele II°

Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II°

Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II°

Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II°

Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II°

The inside of San Maurizio church

Torre Velasca

Centro Svizzero

Gemini Center

Via Turati

The inside of San Satiro church: Donato Bramante's trompe l'oeil

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Template:Province of Milan

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