Difference between revisions of "Milan" - New World Encyclopedia

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{{Infobox Settlement
 
{{Infobox Settlement
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|official_name           = {{lang|it|Comune di Milano}}
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|name= Milan
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|established_title        = [[Insubres|Insubric]] settlement
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|official_name= ''Comune di Milano''
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|established_date        = c. 600 B.C.E.
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|native_name= ''Milano''
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|established_title2      = [[Roman Republic|Roman]] foundation
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|nickname= ''The Moral Capital of Italy''<ref> Milan ''ItalyTravelsGuide.com''.</ref>
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|established_date2        = 222 B.C.E.
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|image_skyline= Milano_collage.jpg
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|nickname                =  
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|imagesize= 275px
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|motto                    =  
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|image_alt=
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|website                  = [http://www.comune.milano.it www.comune.milano.it]
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|image_caption= From top, clockwise: [[Porta_Nuova_(Milan)|Porta Nuova Business District]], [[Duomo]], [[San Siro Stadium]], [[Parco Sempione]] with the [[Arch of Peace]] in the background, [[Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II]]
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|image_skyline            = MailaenderDom.jpg
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|image_flag= Flag of Milan.svg
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|image_caption                  = The [[Milan Cathedral]]
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|image_shield= Milano-Stemma.png
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|image_flag               = Flag of Milan.svg  
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|shield_alt=
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|image_shield             = Milano-Stemma.png
 
 
|image_map                = Milan in Italy.png
 
|image_map                = Milan in Italy.png
 
|map_caption              = Location of the city of Milan
 
|map_caption              = Location of the city of Milan
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|subdivision_type        = [[List of sovereign states|Sovereign state]]
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|pushpin_label_position=
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|subdivision_name         = [[Italy]]
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|pushpin_map_alt=
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|Expo]] in [[Expo 2015|2015]].}}
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|latd= 45 |latm= 27 |lats= 51 |latNS= N
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|longd= 09 |longm= 11 |longs= 25 |longEW= E
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|coordinates_type=
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|coordinates_display= title
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|coordinates_footnotes=
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|region= [[Lombardy]]
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|province= [[Province of Milan|Milan]] (MI)
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|frazioni=
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|mayor_party=
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|leader_title            = [[Mayor of Milan|Mayor]]
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|leader_name              = [[Giuliano Pisapia]]
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|established_title= Settled by [[Celts]]
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|established_date= as [[Mediolanum]] [[circa|c.]] 396 B.C.E.
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|area_footnotes=
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|area_total_km2= 181.76
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|population_footnotes=<ref name=ISTAT>City population (i.e. that of the ''[[comune]]'' or municipality) from ISTAT, [http://demo.istat.it/index_e.html Demography in Figures]. Retrieved May 17, 2012.</ref>
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|population_total= 1338436
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|population_as_of= September 30, 2011
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|population_urban         = 3,076,643
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|area_urban_km2          = 1982
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|area_urban_sq_mi        =
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|population_density_km2  = 7159
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|population_density_sq_mi =
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|population_blank1_title  = [[Demonym|Called]]
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|population_blank1        = Milanees/Milanese
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|timezone                = [[Central European Time|CET]]
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|utc_offset              = +1
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|timezone_DST            = [[Central European Summer Time|CEST]]
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|utc_offset_DST          = +2
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|latd=45 |latm=28 |lats  = |latNS=N |longd=09 |longm=10 |longs= |longEW=E
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|elevation_m              = +120
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|elevation_ft            = 394
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|postal_code_type        = Postal codes
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|postal_code              = 20100, 20121-20162
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|area_code                = 02
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|blank_name              = [[Patron saint]]s
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|blank_info              = [[Saint Ambrose|Ambrose]] (December 7)
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|website= [http://www.comune.milano.it commune.milano.it]
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|footnotes=
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}}
  
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{{intro-rewrite}}
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'''Milan''' ({{lang-it|Milano}}; {{lang-lmo|Milan}}) is the capital city of the [[Province of Milano]] and of [[Lombardy]] region ''(Lombardia)'' in northern [[Italy]].
  
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Inhabitants of Milan are referred to as "Milanese" (Italian: {{lang|it|''Milanesi''}} or informally {{lang|it|''Meneghini''}} or {{lang|it|''Ambrosiani''}}).
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Milan was first settled more than 2500 years ago. Over the centuries it has been controlled alternately by [[Celts]], the [[Roman Empire]], [[Visigoths]], [[Huns]], [[Ostrogoths]], [[Longobards]], the [[Frankish Empire]], the [[France|French]], Austrians, and Spanish, and others. The city was important for the [[history of Christianity]] as the site of the proclamation, [[Edict of Milan]], in which Emperor [[Constantine I]] in 313 C.E. guaranteed [[freedom of religion]] for [[Christian]]s. The city was a center of lyric [[opera]] in the late eighteenth century, and where [[La Scala]] became one of the most referenced theaters worldwide.  
  
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The [[Olona]] river, the Lambro river and the [[Seveso]] creek run through Milan. Olona and Seveso run mostly underground.
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Today it is the leading financial center and the most prosperous manufacturing and commercial city of [[Italy]]. Milan is one of the major financial and business centers of the world. Also it enjoys notoriety as one of the world capitals of [[design]] and [[fashion]]. It is a premier location for [[motorsport]] and [[football (soccer)|football]].
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{{toc}}
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Milan was the site of the 1906 [[World Exposition]]. In the early twenty-first century Milan enjoyed a resurgence in [[construction]], preparing for [[Expo 2015]] and continued [[economics|economic]] growth.  
  
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==History==
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==Geography==
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===Etymology===
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The Roman name ''[[Mediolanum]]'' includes the suffix ''-lanum'' meaning ''plain''. Thus Mediolanum means ''in the midst of the plain''. The [[German language|German]] name for the city is ''Mailand'', while in the local [[Western Lombard]] dialect, the city's name is ''Milán'', similar to the [[French language|French]].
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The [[Celtic languages|Celtic]] name for the settlement of the [[Insubres]] is not attested, but in the Roman name ''[[Mediolanum]]'' the name element ''-lanum'' is the Celtic equivalent of ''-planum'' "plain'", thus Mediolanum: "in the midst of the plain", due to its location in a plain close to the confluence of two small rivers, the Olona and the Seveso. The origin of the name and of a [[boar]] as a symbol of the city are fancifully accounted for in [[Andrea Alciato]]'s ''Emblemata'' (1584), beneath a woodcut of the first raising of the city walls, where a boar is seen lifted from the excavation, and  the etymology of ''Mediolanum'' given as "half-wool",<ref>''medius'' + ''lanum''; Alciato's "etymology" is intentionally far-fetched.</ref> explained in Latin and in French. The foundation of Milan is credited to two Celtic peoples, the [[Bituriges]] and the [[Aedui]], having as their [[emblem]]s a ram and a boar;<ref>''Bituricis vervex, Heduis dat sucula signum.''</ref> therefore "The city’s symbol is a wool-bearing boar, an animal of double form, here with sharp bristles, there with sleek wool."<ref>''Laniger huic signum sus est, animálque biforme, Acribus hinc setis, lanitio inde levi.''</ref> Alciato credits the most saintly and learned [[Ambrose]] for his account.<ref>[http://www.emblems.arts.gla.ac.uk/french/emblem.php?id=FALc002 Alciato, ''Emblemata'', Emblema II]</ref> 
 
  
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The German name for the city is ''Mailand'', while in the local [[Western Lombard]] dialect, the city's name is Milán, similar to the French.
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Milan is located in the [[Po Basin]] of northern Italy, 400 feet (122 meters) above sea level. Toward the [[Alps]] to the north, the terrain is arid, while marshy groves and rice fields predominate near the [[Po River]].
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{{wrapper}}
 
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|[[Image:Milano - Mappa della città nel 1621.jpg|thumb|right|200px|Milan in [[1621]].]]
 
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|-
 
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|[[Image:Milano inizio secolo.jpg|thumb|right|200px|View of Milan in early 1900s.]]
 
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|-
 
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|[[Image:Milano-castello sforzesco.jpg|thumb|right|200px|[[Castello Sforzesco]], sign of the power of the [[House of Sforza]].]]
 
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|-
 
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|[[Image:Galleria Vittorio Emanuele.jpg|thumb|right|200px|[[Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II]].]]
 
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|}
 
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===Roman times===
 
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{{main|Mediolanum}}
 
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Around [[400 BC]], the Celtic [[Insubres]] inhabited Milan and the surrounding region. In [[222 B.C.E.]], the Romans conquered this settlement, which received the  name [[Mediolanum]].
 
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After several centuries of Roman control, Milan was declared the capital of the [[Western Roman Empire]] by Emperor [[Diocletian]] in 293 C.E. Diocletian chose to stay in the Eastern Roman Empire (capital [[Nicomedia]]) and his colleague Maximianus the Western one. Immediately [[Maximian]] built several gigantic monuments, like a large circus (470 x 85&nbsp;meters), the Thermae Erculee, a large complex of imperial palaces and several other services and buildings.
 
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<br>In the [[Edict of Milan]] of 313, Emperor [[Constantine I]] guaranteed freedom of religion for [[Christian]]s. The city was besieged by the [[Visigoths]] in 402, and the imperial residence was moved to [[Ravenna]]. Fifty years later (in 452), the [[Huns]] overran the city. In 539, the [[Ostrogoths]] conquered and destroyed Milan in the course of the so-called [[Gothic War (535–552)|Gothic War]] against [[Byzantine Empire|Byzantine]] Emperor [[Justinian I]]. In the summer of 569, the [[Longobards]] (from which the name of the Italian region [[Lombardy]] derives) conquered Milan, overpowering the small [[Byzantine]] army left for its defence. Milan surrendered to the [[Franks]] in 774 when [[Charlemagne]], in an utterly novel decision, took the title "King of the Lombards" as well (before then the Germanic kingdoms had frequently conquered each other, but none had adopted the title of King of another people). Subsequently Milan was part of the [[Holy Roman Empire]].
 
  
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===Middle Ages===
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Milan is classified as having a humid subtropical [[climate]], with hot, humid summers with little [[rain]]fall and cool, damp winters. The average maximum [[temperature]] in July is around 82°F (28°C), and in January is 43°F (6°C). [[Snow]]falls are relatively common in [[winter]]. Mean annual precipitation is 40 inches (1000mm). The city was typically often shrouded in the [[fog]] characteristic of the Po Basin, although the removal of [[rice]] fields from the southern neighborhoods, the urban heat-island effect, and the reduction of pollution levels have reduced this phenomenon in recent years, at least in the downtown area.
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During the Middle Ages, Milan prospered as a center of trade due to its command of the rich plain of the Po and routes from Italy across the Alps. The war of conquest by [[Frederick I Barbarossa]] against the Lombard cities brought the destruction of much of Milan in 1162. After the founding of the [[Lombard League]] in 1167, Milan took the leading role in this alliance. As a result of the independence that the Lombard cities gained in the [[Peace of Constance]] in 1183, Milan became a duchy. In 1208 [[Rambertino Buvalelli]] served a term as [[podestà]] of the city, in 1242 [[Luca Grimaldi]], and in 1282 [[Luchetto Gattilusio]]. In 1395, [[Gian Galeazzo Visconti]] became duke of Milan. In 1447 [[Filippo Maria Visconti]], [[Duke of Milan]], died without a male heir; following the end of the Visconti line, the [[Ambrosian Republic]] was enacted. However, the Republic collapsed when in 1450, Milan was conquered by [[Francesco Sforza]], of the [[House of Sforza]], which made Milan one of the leading cities of the Italian [[Renaissance]].
 
  
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===Periods of Spanish, French and Austrian domination===
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The [[Olona]] river, the [[Lambro river]], and the [[Seveso]] creek run through Milan—the Olona and Seveso run mostly underground.
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The French king [[Louis XII]] first laid claim to the duchy in 1492. At that time, Milan was defended by Swiss mercenaries. After the victory of Louis’s successor Francis I over the Swiss at the [[Battle of Marignano]], the duchy was promised to the French king [[Francis I of France|Francis I]]. When the Habsburg [[Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor|Charles V]] defeated Francis I at the [[Battle of Pavia]] in 1525, northern Italy, including Milan, passed to the House of [[Habsburg]]. In 1556, Charles V abdicated in favour of his son [[Philip II of Spain|Philip II]] and his brother [[Ferdinand I, Holy Roman Emperor|Ferdinand I]]. Charles’s Italian possessions, including Milan, passed to Philip II and the Spanish line of Habsburgs, while Ferdinand’s Austrian line of Habsburgs ruled the Holy Roman Empire.
 
  
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However, in 1700 the Spanish line of Habsburgs was extinguished with the death of [[Charles II of Spain|Charles II]]. After his death, the [[War of the Spanish Succession]] began in 1701 with the occupation of all Spanish possessions by French troops backing the claim of the French [[Philip V of Spain|Philippe of Anjou]] to the Spanish throne. In 1706, the French were defeated in [[Battle of Ramillies|Ramillies]] and [[Battle of Turin|Turin]] and were forced to yield northern Italy to the Austrian Habsburgs. In 1713, the [[Treaty of Utrecht]] formally confirmed Austrian sovereignty over most of Spain’s Italian possessions including [[Lombardy]] and its capital, Milan.
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==History==
 +
[[Image:Ruins-imperial-complex-milan-.jpg|thumb|right|225px|Ruins of the emperor's palace in Milan, where Costantinus and Licinius issued the [[Edict of Milan]]]]
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[[Image:Milano inizio secolo.jpg|thumb|right|225px|View of Milan in early 1900s.]]
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[[Image:Milano-castello sforzesco.jpg|thumb|right|225px|[[Castello Sforzesco]], sign of the power of the [[House of Sforza]].]]
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[[Image:Galleria Vittorio Emanuele.jpg|thumb|right|225px|[[Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II]].]]
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[[Image:Santa Maria delle Grazie Mlano bombardata.jpg|thumb|right|225px|Santa Maria delle Grazie after the Anglo-American bombings in 1944.]]
  
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===19th Century===
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===Insubria===
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[[Napoleon]] conquered Lombardy in 1796, and Milan was declared capital of the [[Cisalpine Republic]]. Later, he declared Milan capital of the ''Reign of Italy'' and was crowned in the Duomo. Once Napoleon’s occupation ended, the [[Congress of Vienna]] returned Lombardy, and Milan, along with the [[Veneto]], to Austrian control in 1815.
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The settlement that was to become Milan was founded around 600 B.C.E..E. by the Celtic [[Insubres]], for whom this region of northern [[Italy]] was called [[Insubria]]. Roman consul [[Gnaeus Cornelius Scipio Calvus]] led an attack on the Insubres and captured the city in 222 B.C.E. The Romans eventually conquered the entire region, calling the new province [[Cisalpine Gaul]]—"Gaul this side of the Alps"—and may have given the site its Latin-Celtic name—''Mediolanum.''
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During this period, Milan became a centre of lyric [[opera]]. Here [[Mozart]] wrote three operas, and in a few years [[La Scala]] became the reference theatre in the world, with its premieres of [[Bellini]], [[Donizetti]], [[Rossini]] and Verdi. [[Verdi]] himself is now tumulated in a precious Institute, the "Casa di Riposo per Musicisti", the Verdi's present to Milan. In the 19th century other important theatres were ''La Cannobiana'' and the ''Teatro Carcano''.
 
  
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On [[March 18]], [[1848]], the Milanese rebelled against Austrian rule, during the so-called "[[Five Days of Milan|Five Days]]" (It. Cinque Giornate), and Field Marshall [[Joseph Radetzky von Radetz|Radetzky]] was forced to withdraw from the city temporarily. However, after defeating Italian forces at [[Battle of Custoza (1848)|Custoza]] on [[July 24]], Radetzky was able to reassert Austrian control over Milan and northern Italy. However, Italian nationalists, championed by the [[Kingdom of Sardinia]], called for the removal of Austria in the interest of [[Italian unification]]. Sardinia and France formed an alliance and defeated Austria at the [[Battle of Solferino]] in 1859. Following this battle, Milan and the rest of Lombardy were incorporated into the Kingdom of Sardinia, which soon gained control of most of Italy and in 1861 was rechristened as the [[Kingdom of Italy]].
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===Roman rule===
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After several centuries of Roman control, Milan was declared the capital of the [[Western Roman Empire]] by Emperor [[Diocletian]] in 293 C.E. Diocletian chose to stay in the Eastern Roman Empire (capital [[Nicomedia]]) and his colleague Maximianus the Western one. Immediately [[Maximian]] built several gigantic monuments, like a large circus (470 x 85&nbsp;meters), the Thermae Erculee, a large complex of imperial palaces and several other services and buildings. In the [[Edict of Milan]] of 313, Emperor [[Constantine I]] guaranteed [[freedom of religion]] for [[Christian]]s.  
  
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The [[Italian unification|political unification of Italy]] cemented Milan’s commercial dominance over northern Italy. It also led to a flurry of railway construction that made Milan the rail hub of northern Italy. Rapid industrialization put Milan at the centre of Italy’s leading industrial region, though in the 1890s Milan was shaken by the [[Bava-Beccaris massacre]], a riot related to an high inflation rate. Meanwhile, as Milanese banks dominated Italy’s financial sphere, the city became the country’s leading financial centre. Milan’s economic growth brought a rapid expansion in the city’s area and population during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
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===Conquests===
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[[Visigoths]] besieged the city in 402, and the imperial residence was moved to [[Ravenna]]. The [[Huns]] overran the city in 452, and in 539, the [[Ostrogoths]] conquered and destroyed Milan during the Gothic War (535–552) against Byzantine Emperor [[Justinian I]]. In the summer of 569, the [[Longobards]] (from which the name ''Lombardy'' derives) conquered Milan, overpowering the small [[Byzantine Empire|Byzantine]] army left for its defense. Milan surrendered to the [[Franks]] in 774 when [[Charlemagne]], in an utterly novel decision, took the title "King of the Lombards." Subsequently Milan was part of the [[Holy Roman Empire]].
  
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===20th Century===
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===Trade center===
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[[Image:Santa Maria delle Grazie Mlano bombardata.jpg|thumb|right|200px|Santa Maria delle Grazie after the Anglo-American bombings in 1944]]
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Milan prospered as a center of trade due to its command of the rich plain of the Po and routes from Italy across the Alps. The war of conquest by [[Frederick I Barbarossa]] (1122-1190) against the Lombard cities destroyed much of Milan in 1162. Milan took the leading role in the [[Lombard League]] from its founding in 1167.  
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In 1919, [[Benito Mussolini]] organized the [[Blackshirts]], who formed the core of [[Italian fascism|Italy’s Fascist movement]], in Milan.  In 1922, Mussolini started his [[March on Rome]] from Milan.  
 
  
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During [[World War II]], Milan suffered severe damage from British and American bombing, Even though [[Armistice between Italy and Allied armed forces|Italy quit the war]] in 1943, the Germans occupied most of northern Italy until 1945. Some of the worst [[Allied]] bombing of Milan was in 1944.  Much of the bombing focused around [[Stazione Centrale|Milan's main train station]].
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As a result of the independence that the Lombard cities gained in the [[Peace of Constance]] in 1183, Milan became a duchy. In 1208 [[Rambertino Buvalelli]] served a term as [[podestà]] of the city, in 1242 [[Luca Grimaldi]], and in 1282 [[Luchetto Gattilusio]]. In 1395, [[Gian Galeazzo Visconti]] became duke of Milan. In 1447, [[Filippo Maria Visconti]], [[Duke of Milan]], died without a male heir; following the end of the Visconti line, the [[Ambrosian Republic]] was enacted. However, the republic collapsed when in 1450, Milan was conquered by [[Francesco Sforza]], of the [[House of Sforza]], which made Milan one of the leading cities of the Italian [[Renaissance]].
  
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In 1943, anti-German resistance in occupied Italy increased and there were explosions in Milan.  
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===French, Austrian and Spanish domination===
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The French king [[Louis XII]] first laid claim to the duchy in 1492, when Swiss mercenaries defended Milan. The duchy was promised to Louis’s successor Francis I after his victory over the Swiss at the [[Battle of Marignano]] (1515). When the [[Habsburg]] [[Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor|Charles V]] defeated Francis I at the [[Battle of Pavia]] in 1525, northern Italy, including Milan, passed to the House of Habsburg. In 1556, Charles V abdicated in favor of his son [[Philip II of Spain|Philip II]] and his brother [[Ferdinand I, Holy Roman Emperor|Ferdinand I]]. Charles’ Italian possessions, including Milan, passed to Philip II and the Spanish line of Habsburgs, while Ferdinand’s Austrian line of Habsburgs ruled the [[Holy Roman Empire]].
  
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As the war came to an end, the American [[1st Armored Division (United States)|1st Armored Division]] advanced on Milan as part of the [[Spring 1945 offensive in Italy|Po Valley Campaign]].  But even before they arrived, members of the [[Italian resistance movement]] rose up in open revolt in Milan and liberated the city. Nearby, Mussolini and several members of his [[Italian Social Republic]] (''Repubblica Sociale Italiana'', or RSI) were captured by the resistance at [[Dongo, Italy|Dongo]] and executed.  On [[29 April]] [[1945]], the bodies of the Fascists were taken to Milan and hung unceremoniously upside-down at ''Piazzale loreto''  a public square.
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In 1700, the Spanish line of Habsburgs was extinguished with the death of [[Charles II of Spain|Charles II]], sparking the [[War of the Spanish Succession]] in 1701, and the occupation of all Spanish possessions by French troops backing the claim of the French [[Philip V of Spain|Philippe of Anjou]] to the Spanish throne. In 1706, the French were defeated in [[Battle of Ramillies|Ramillies]] and [[Battle of Turin|Turin]] and were forced to yield northern Italy to the Austrian Habsburgs. In 1713, the [[Treaty of Utrecht]] formally confirmed Austrian sovereignty over most of [[Spain]]’s Italian possessions including [[Lombardy]] and Milan.
  
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After the war the city was the [[Milan (camp)|site of a refugee camp]] for Jews fleeing from Austria.
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===Intellectual center===
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During the 1950s and 1960s, thousands of Italians, particularly from [[Southern Italy]], moved to Milan to seek jobs within the city’s rapidly expanding economy and the population peaked at 1,723,000 in 1971. From the 1980s Milan become to host many immigrants from other countries of third world. In the same years began the quick and great extension of Chinatown, a district established in the 20s in the area around Via Paolo Sarpi, Via Bramante, Via Messina and Via Rosmini, by a group of Chinese people from Zejiang. Today is one of the most picturesque district in the city. Much of Milan's population however was lost during the 1970s and 1980s to the belt of new suburbs and small cities surrounding Milan. Nonetheless, Milan’s population seems to have stabilized, and there has been a slight increase in the population of the city since 2001.
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In the late eighteenth century, and throughout the nineteenth, Milan was an important center for intellectual discussion and literary creativity. [[Napoleon]] conquered Lombardy in 1796, and Milan was declared capital of the [[Cisalpine Republic]]. Later, he declared Milan capital of the ''Reign of Italy'' and was crowned in the Duomo. Once Napoleon’s occupation ended, the [[Congress of Vienna]] returned Lombardy, and Milan, along with the [[Veneto]], to Austrian control in 1815.
  
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==Municipal Administration==
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During this period, Milan became a center of lyric [[opera]]. There [[Mozart]] wrote three operas, and in a few years [[La Scala]] became the reference theater in the world, with its premieres of [[Bellini]], [[Donizetti]], [[Rossini]] and [[Verdi]].
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[[Image:Quartieri.png|thumb|right|250px|The nine boroughs of Milan.]]
 
  
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===Politics===
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On March 18, 1848, the Milanese rebelled against Austrian rule. Field Marshall [[Joseph Radetzky von Radetz|Radetzky]] was forced to withdraw from the city. However, after defeating Italian forces at Custoza on July 24, 1848, Radetzky was able to reassert Austrian control. But Italian nationalists called for the removal of [[Austria]] in the interest of [[Italian unification]]. [[Sardinia]] and [[France]] defeated Austria at the [[Battle of Solferino]] in 1859. Milan and the rest of Lombardy were incorporated into the Kingdom of Sardinia, which soon gained control of most of [[Italy]] and in 1861 was rechristened as the [[Kingdom of Italy]]. After 1861, Milan lost its political importance, but it retained a central position in cultural debates.
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{{see also|Mayors of Milan}}
 
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*Name of the Mayor: [[Letizia Moratti|Letizia Brichetto Arnaboldi in Moratti]]
 
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*Date of election: [[May 30]], [[2006]]
 
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*Party: [[Forza Italia]] - [[People of Freedom]]
 
  
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Of nine boroughs into which Milan is divided, eight are governed by centre-right coalition (1-8) and one by centre-left coalition (9).
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The political unification of Italy cemented Milan’s commercial dominance over northern Italy, and led to a flurry of [[railway]] construction that made Milan the rail hub of northern Italy. Rapid [[industrialization]] put Milan at the center of Italy’s leading industrial region.
  
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===Administrative Subdivision===
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In May 1898, Milan was shaken by the [[Bava-Beccaris massacre]], a riot related to a high [[inflation]] rate and [[famine]]. According to the government, there were 118 dead and 450 wounded after troops fired on protesters.  
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The city of Milan is subdivided into 9 administrative zones, called ''Zona''. In 1999 the administration decided to reduce the number of these zones from 21 to 9.
 
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The ''Zona 1'' is in the historic centre - within the perimeter of the Spanish-era city walls, the other eight cover from Zona 1 borders to the city limits.<ref>[http://www.comune.milano.it/dseserver/WebCity/Documenti.nsf/a05ac22aa8296639012567b6005b1193/24ebbbc42dccc2a0c1256d570040abac?OpenDocument web site of Milan]</ref>.
 
  
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The following table reports the datas for every ''Zona''; the total population is higher than the official city population because it includes foreign born immigrants with permits in its count.
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Meanwhile, as Milanese banks dominated Italy’s financial sphere, the city became the country’s leading financial center. Milan’s economic growth brought a rapid expansion in the city’s area and [[population]] during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.
  
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<table width="100%" class="prettytable" border="1" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="0" style="margin:0 .5em .5em 0; margin-top:.5em;
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===Rise of Fascism===
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[[Image:Pirelli Tower.jpg|thumb|right|225px|The Pirelli Tower, a symbol of the post-war economic boom.]]
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In 1919, [[Benito Mussolini]] organized the [[Blackshirts]], who formed the core of Italy’s [[Fascism|Fascist]] movement, in Milan. In 1922, Mussolini began his [[March on Rome]] from Milan.  
  
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During [[World War II]], Milan sustained severe damage from [[Great Britain|British]] and [[United States|American]] bombing. Even though Italy quit the war in 1943, the [[Germany|Germans]] occupied most of northern Italy until 1945. Some of the worst [[Allied]] bombing of Milan was in 1944. Much of the bombing focused around Milan's main train station. In 1943, anti-German resistance in occupied-Italy increased and there were explosions in Milan.
  
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As the war came to an end, the American 1st Armored Division advanced on Milan as part of the Po Valley Campaign. Before they arrived, members of the [[Italian resistance movement]] revolted and liberated Milan. Nearby, Mussolini and several members of his [[Italian Social Republic]] were captured by the resistance at Dongo and executed. On April 29, 1945, the bodies of the Fascists were taken to Milan and hung unceremoniously upside-down at ''Piazzale loreto'' a public square. After the [[war]], the city was the site of a [[refugee]] camp for [[Jew]]s fleeing from [[Austria]].  
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<tr bgcolor="#DCDCDC">
 
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<td width="06%"></td>
 
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<td width="13%">Zona</td>
 
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<td width="08%">Area<br />
 
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(km²)</td>
 
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<td width="08%">Population<br />
 
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(31 December 2006)</td>
 
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<td width="08%">Density<br />
 
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(inhab/km²)</td>
 
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<td width="57%">Subdivisions</td>
 
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</tr>
 
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<tr>
 
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<td>''[[Zona 1 of Milano|Zona 1]]''</td>
 
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<td>Centro Storico</td>
 
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<td>9.67</td>
 
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<td>107,087</td>
 
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<td>11,074</td>
 
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<td>Centro Storico, Piazza del Duomo, Porta Tenaglia, Porta Sempione /  Arco della Pace, Chinatown, Giardini Pubblici, piazza della Repubblica, largo della Crocetta, via della Guastalla, Basilica di Sant'Ambrogio, San Vittore, Parco delle Basiliche, Carrobbio</td>
 
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</tr>
 
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<tr>
 
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<td>''[[Zona 2 of Milano|Zona 2]]''</td>
 
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<td>Stazione Centrale, Gorla, Turro, Precotto, Greco, Crescenzago</td>
 
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<td>12.58</td>
 
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<td>163,932</td>
 
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<td>13,031</td>
 
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<td>Porta Nuova, Centrale, Ponte Seveso, Loreto, Maggiolina, Villaggio dei Giornalisti, Greco, Gorla, Turro, Precotto, Padova, Crescenzago, Adriano, Breda, Cassina di Pomm</td>
 
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</tr>
 
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<tr>
 
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<td>''[[Zona 3 of Milano|Zona 3]]''</td>
 
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<td>Porta Venezia, Città Studi, Lambrate</td>
 
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<td>14.23</td>
 
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<td>153,470</td>
 
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<td>10,785</td>
 
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<td> Porta Venezia, Porta Monforte, Città Studi, Lambrate, Parco Lambro, Ortica, Quartiere Feltre, Casoretto, via Corelli, Rottole, Cimiano, via Carnia, Naviglio della Martesana</td>
 
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</tr>
 
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<tr>
 
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<td>''[[Zona 4 of Milano|Zona 4]]''</td>
 
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<td>Porta Vittoria, Porta Romana, Forlanini, Monlué, Rogoredo</td>
 
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<td>20.95</td>
 
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<td>169,051</td>
 
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<td>8,069</td>
 
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<td> Porta Vittoria, Porta Romana, piazzale Libia, Cavriano, Calvairate, Monluè, Taliedo, La Trecca, Porto, Gamboloita, Nosedo, piazzale Corvetto, Rogoredo, Santa Giulia, Morsenchio, Forlanini, viale Omero, San Luigi, Ponte Lambro</td>
 
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</tr>
 
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<tr>
 
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<td>''[[Zona 5 of Milano|Zona 5]]''</td>
 
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<td>Porta Ticinese, Porta Lodovica, Vigentino, Chiaravalle, Gratosoglio</td>
 
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<td>29.87</td>
 
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<td>134,016</td>
 
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<td>4,487</td>
 
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<td> Porta Ticinese, Porta Lodovica, Vigentino, Chiaravalle, Gratosoglio, Porta Vigentina, Conchetta, parco Ravizza, piazza Ohm, via Ripamonti, Vigentino, viale Ortles, via Quaranta, Morivione, via Spaventa, Quartiere Stadera, Quartiere Torretta, via Meda, Conca Fallata, Vaiano Valle, Selvanesco, Casenuove, Macconago, Quintosole, Ronchetto delle Rane, Chiesa Rossa,  Naviglio Pavese, Vettabbia, corso San Gottardo</td>
 
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</tr>
 
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<tr>
 
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<td>''[[Zona 6 of Milano|Zona 6]]''</td>
 
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<td>Barona, Giambellino, Lorenteggio, Porta Genova</td>
 
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<td>18.28</td>
 
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<td>164,487</td>
 
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<td>8,998</td>
 
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<td> Porta Genova, Darsena, via Magolfa, via Solari, San Cristoforo, Moncucco, Lorenteggio,  via Giambellino, Restocco Maroni, Ronchetto sul Naviglio, Boffalora, Cascina Bianca, Cascina Cantalupa, via Bisceglie, via Inganni, piazza Frattini, Naviglio Grande, Barona, via Santa Rita, viale Legioni Romane, via Foppa</td>
 
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</tr>
 
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<tr>
 
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<td>''[[Zona 7 of Milano|Zona 7]]''</td>
 
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<td>Porta Vercellina, Baggio, San Siro, Forze Armate</td>
 
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<td>31.34</td>
 
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<td>190,969</td>
 
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<td>6,093</td>
 
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<td> Porta Vercellina, Baggio, San Siro, via delle Forze Armate, Porta Vercellina, piazzale Aquileia, piazza Piemonte, via Washington, via Marghera, piazzale Brescia, piazzale Siena, via Saint Bon, Ospedale San Carlo, via Valsesia, Quinto Romano, Quarto Cagnino, piazzale Selinunte, Figino, Assiano, Muggiano, via Novara, via Marx, via Bellaria, via degli Ippodromi </td>
 
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</tr>
 
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<tr>
 
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<td>''[[Zona 8 of Milano|Zona 8]]''</td>
 
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<td>Porta Volta, Fiera, Gallaratese, Quarto Oggiaro</td>
 
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<td>23.72</td>
 
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<td>197,484</td>
 
−
<td>8,326</td>
 
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<td>Porta Volta, Fiera, Gallaratese, Quarto Oggiaro, corso Sempione, Bullona, Cimitero Monumentale, Porta Garibaldi, via Cenisio, via Paolo Sarpi, Ghisolfa, Cagnola, [[Il Portello]], Monte Stella, Boldinasco, Q.T.8, piazza Bonola, via Ghisallo, Trenno, Lampugnano, San Leonardo, piazzale Accursio, Musocco, Porta Volta, Villapizzone, Garegnano e Certosa di Garegnano, Vialba, Quarto Oggiaro, Belgioioso, Roserio</td>
 
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</tr>
 
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<tr>
 
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<td>''[[Zona 9 of Milano|Zona 9]]''</td>
 
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<td>Affori, Porta Nuova, Niguarda, Bovisa, Fulvio Testi</td>
 
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<td>21.12</td>
 
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<td>194,386</td>
 
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<td>9,204</td>
 
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<td> Affori, Porta Nuova, Niguarda, Bovisa, viale Fulvio Testi, Centro Direzionale, via Melchiorre Gioia, L'Isola, viale Zara, via Lancetti (Dogana), via Farini, Bovisasca, Dergano, Derganino, Montalbino, Prato Centenaro, Cà Granda, Comasina, Segnano, Bicocca, Stazione di Milano Greco Pirelli, viale Sarca, viale Fermi, via Astesani, piazzale Maciachini, Bruzzano, Parco Nord, via Seveso </td>
 
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</tr>
 
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<tr>
 
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<td></td>
 
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<td><small>Total City</small></td>
 
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<td>181,76</td>
 
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<td>1,483,882</td>
 
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<td>8,164</td>
 
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<td></td>
 
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</tr>
 
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</table>
 
  
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==Climate==
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===Post-war boom===
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Under the [[Köppen climate classification]] Milan is typically classified as having a [[Humid subtropical climate]] (Cfa). Milan's winters are typically damp and cool, while summers are often quite warm and humid. Average temperatures are -4/+6°C in January and +15/+28°C in July. Snowfalls are relatively common in winter, even if in the last 15-20&nbsp;years they have decreased in frequency and amount. The historic average of Milan's area is between 35 and 45 cm (16"/18"); single snowfalls over 30-50 cm in 1-3&nbsp;days happen periodically, with a record of 80-100 cm during the famous snowfall of January 1985. Humidity is quite high during the whole year and annual precipitation averages about 1000&nbsp;mm (40 in). In the stereotypical image, the city is often shrouded in the fog characteristic of the Po Basin, although the removal of rice fields from the southern neighbourhoods, urban heating effect and the reduction of pollution levels have reduced this phenomenon in recent years, at least in the downtown.
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During the 1950s and 1960s, thousands of Italians, particularly from [[Southern Italy]], moved to Milan to seek jobs within the city’s rapidly expanding economy. The population peaked at 1,723,000 in 1971. From the 1980s, Milan attracted numerous foreign immigrants. [[Chinatown]], a district established in the 1920s in the area around Via Paolo Sarpi, by a group of [[Overseas Chinese|Chinese]] people from Zejiang, greatly expanded to become a most picturesque district.  
  
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{{Milan weatherbox}}
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Much of Milan's population, during the 1970s and 1980s, moved to the belt of new suburbs and small cities surrounding Milan, although Milan’s population seems to have stabilized, with a slight increase in the population of the city since 2001.
  
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==Main sights==
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==Government==
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{{wrapper}}
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[[Image:Quartieri.png|thumb|right|250px|The nine boroughs of Milan.]]
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|[[Image:Milano Duomo 1.jpg|thumb|right|200px|The [[Milan Cathedral]] from the opposite square]]
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[[Italy]] is a republic in which the president is chief of state who is elected by an electoral college for a seven-year term. The prime minister, who is head of government, is appointed by the president and confirmed by parliament. The bicameral ''Parlamento'' consists of a senate of 315 members, and the chamber of deputies of 630 members, both houses elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms.
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|-
 
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|[[Image:Santa Maria delle Grazie Milano.jpg|thumb|right|200px|[[Santa Maria delle Grazie (Milan)|Santa Maria delle Grazie]], created by [[Bramante]].]]
 
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|-
 
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|[[Image:Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519) - The Last Supper (1495-1498).jpg|thumb|right|200px|[[Leonardo Da Vinci]]'s [[The Last Supper (Leonardo)|''Last Supper'']], in the church of [[Santa Maria delle Grazie (Milan)|Santa Maria delle Grazie]], Milan.]]
 
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|-
 
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|[[Image:PiazzadelDuomoMilan.jpg|thumb|200px|Piazza del Duomo.]]
 
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|-
 
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|[[Image:Pirelli Tower.jpg|thumb|right|200px|The [[Pirelli Tower]], symbol of the post-war economic boom]]
 
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|-
 
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|[[Image:IMG 4468 - Milano - La Borsa - Dettaglio - Foto di Giovanni Dall'Orto - 20 jan 2007.jpg|thumb|right|The [[Borsa Italiana]], based in Milan, is Italy's main [[stock exchange]].|200px]]
 
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|-
 
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|[[Image:Milano, ca' granada 01.JPG|thumb|right|200px|State University of Milan.]]
 
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|-
 
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|[[Image:Milano brera cortile.jpg|thumb|right|200px|Brera Academy.]]
 
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|-
 
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|[[Image:Sdabocconi.jpg|thumb|200px|Bocconi University.]]
 
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|}
 
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<!-- Deleted images removed: [[Image:bicocca.jpg|right|thumb|200px|State University of Milan-Bicocca.]]|[[Image:FieraMilano.JPG|thumb|right|220px|Inside view of the [[FieraMilano]] exhibition centre]] —>
 
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:''See also: [[:category:buildings and structures in Milan|Buildings and structures in Milan]]
 
  
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Milan is one of the major artistic centres of northern Italy. Its chief landmarks include:
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The city, or ''comune,'' of Milan is the capital of the [[Lombardy]] region, which is one of Italy's 20 regions, and of the province of Milan. Italy's 100 provinces have their own [[local elections]]. Each province has a prefect who is appointed by and responds to the central government, which he locally represents.
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*[[Duomo di Milano|The Duomo]], the world's largest collection of marble statues with the widely visible golden Madonna statue on top of the spire, la ''Madunina'' (little Madonna), the symbol of Milan.
 
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* [[Teatro alla Scala]].  Milan is also one of the most important centres in the world for ''[[Opera]] lirica'', with his famous ''Teatro alla Scala'' ([[La Scala, theatre|La Scala]]).
 
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*The [[Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II]], a large, covered arcade linking the Duomo's piazza with the Teatro alla Scala.
 
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*The [[Castello Sforzesco]] and the [[Parco Sempione]].
 
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*The [[Basilica of Sant'Ambrogio]]
 
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*The Palaeo-Christian [[Basilica of San Lorenzo, Milan|Basilica of San Lorenzo]]
 
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*The [[Biblioteca Ambrosiana]], containing 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 [[Pinacoteca Brera|Brera Academy of Fine Arts]].
 
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*The church of [[Santa Maria delle Grazie (Milan)|Santa Maria delle Grazie]], which houses one of the most famous paintings of [[Leonardo da Vinci]], [[The Last Supper (Leonardo)|''The Last Supper'']] (''L'ultima cena'' or ''Il cenacolo'').
 
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*The church of [[Santa Maria presso San Satiro]], with a famous [[trompe l'oeil]] traditionally ascribed to [[Bramante]]
 
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*The [[Cimitero Monumentale di Milano]].
 
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*The [[Pinacoteca di Brera]], [[Pinacoteca Ambrosiana]], [[Museo Poldi Pezzoli|Poldi Pezzoli]], the [[Bagatti Valsecchi Museum]] and the Musei del Castello galleries, which host a great number of pictorial masterpieces.
 
  
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==Demographics==
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The ''comune'' provides many basic [[civil]] functions. It has a [[registry]] of births and deaths, a [[registry of deeds]], and it contracts for local roads and public works. It is headed by a mayor ''(sindaco)'' assisted by a [[council]] of [[aldermen]], the ''Consiglio Comunale.'' The offices of the ''comune'' are housed in a building usually called the ''Municipio,'' or ''Palazzo Comunale.''
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The city proper (''Comune di Milano'') has a population of 1,298,972 inhabitants (2007)<ref>Bilancio demografico anno 2008, dati [http://demo.istat.it ISTAT]</ref>. Between 1991 to 2001, the city proper has lost 113,084 inhabitants (8.3 percent), mostly due to suburban sprawl and expulsion of population from the inner city centre, which is now almost fully dedicated to offices and commerce. The population of the [[urban area]] is estimated to be 3,076,643<ref>Fonte [[Eurostat]] [http://www.urbanaudit.org/DataAccessed.aspx]</ref>. Finally, the official population of the Milan [[metropolitan area]] counts 3.707.000 residents, the second largest in Italy after [[Rome]].
 
  
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As of 2006, the Italian national institute of statistics ISTAT estimated that 292,204 foreign-born immigrants live in Milan Urban Area, equal to 9% of total population.
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The city of Milan is subdivided into nine administrative zones, called ''Zona.'' The ''Zona 1'' is in the historic centre - within the perimeter of the Spanish-era city walls, the other eight cover from Zona 1 borders to the city limits.
  
 
==Economy==
 
==Economy==
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Milan is one of the major financial and business centres of the world. The city is the seat of the Italian Stock Exchange (the [[Borsa Italiana]]) "Piazza Affari" and its [[hinterland]] is an ''avant-garde'' industrial area. Milan was included in a list of ten "[[global city|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'" ([http://www.brookings.edu/metro/pubs/20050222_worldcities.htm Key Findings], {{PDFlink|[http://www.brookings.edu/dybdocroot/metro/pubs/20050222_worldcities.pdf Full Report]|940&nbsp;[[Kibibyte|KiB]]<!-- application/pdf, 963375 bytes —>}}).
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[[Image:Tramway milan1.jpg|thumb|right|250px|The classic [[trams]] from the 1920s are still in use.]]
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[[Image:IMG 9882.jpg|thumb|right|250px|Airwiew of [[Malpensa International Airport]]. It handled more than 23.8&nbsp;million passengers in 2007.]]
  
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Milan is also well-known as the seat of the [[Alfa Romeo]] motorcar company, for its [[silk]] production, and as one of the world's capitals for [[Fashion design#Italian fashion design|fashion]] and a world leader for design.  
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Milan is one of the major financial and business centers of the world. It was ranked at number eight among Global Network Connectivity Rankings of [[U.S.]], [[European Union]], and Pacific Asian Cities by the [[Brookings Institute]].<ref>Peter J. Taylor and Robert E. Lang, February 2005, U.S. Cities in the 'World City Network' ''The Brookings Institution''.</ref> Milan was listed as having the 40th largest gross domestic product in the world in 2005, at US$115-billion. Per capita GDP was US$48,300.  
  
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Milan also provides directional functions for the whole of Lombardy, as its industrial base has been externalized throughout the region in the 1960s-70s.  
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The city is the seat of the Italian [[Stock Exchange]] (the [[Borsa Italiana]]).
  
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[[FieraMilano]], the city's Exhibition Centre and Trade Fair complex, is notable. The original fairground, known as "''FieraMilanoCity''", has been entirely dismantled, with the exception of a few remarkable buildings (including the cycle  sports stadium, built in the '20s), to be house for an urban development, [[CityLife (Milan)|CityLife]], using the short distance from the city centre. The new fairground, in the north-western suburb of [[Rho (Italy)|Rho]], opened in April 2005, makes the Fiera Milano the largest trade fair complex in the world.
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"''Piazza Affari''" and its [[hinterland]] is an ''avant-garde'' industrial area.
 +
Milan is also well-known as the seat of the [[Alfa Romeo]] motorcar company; for its [[silk]] [[sericulture|production]]; and as a world center for [[fashion]] design.  
  
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===Milan of the future===
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Redevelopment has made [[FieraMilano]] - the city's Exhibition Centre and Trade Fair complex in the northwestern suburb of [[Rho (Italy)|Rho]], opened in April 2005 - the largest [[trade fair]] complex in the world.
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At present, Milan is experiencing a significant architectural and urban design renaissance. Many new construction projects are under way with the aim of rehabilitating disused, peripheral industrial areas, including entire quarters. Examples of these projects include: the addition to the [[Teatro alla Scala]]; the CityLife project in the old "fiera" site; the new quarter Santa Giulia; and the Porta Nuova project in the Garibaldi-Repubblica zone. Famous architects are involved in the construction of this "new" Milan, such as [[Renzo Piano]], [[Norman Foster, Baron Foster of Thames Bank|Norman Foster]], [[Zaha Hadid]], [[Massimiliano Fuksas]] and [[Daniel Libeskind]]. These major works will give Milan a new skyline no longer dominated by the [[Duomo di Milano|Duomo]] and the [[Pirelli Tower]].
 
  
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This urban rebirth will continue due to the selection of Milan to host [[Expo 2015]].
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In 2008, Milan was in a significant [[architecture|architectural]] and [[urban design]] renaissance. Numerous construction projects aimed to rehabilitate disused, peripheral industrial areas. Projects included: The addition to the [[Teatro alla Scala]]; the new quarter Santa Giulia; and the Porta Nuova project in the Garibaldi-Repubblica zone, which together would give Milan a skyline no longer dominated by the [[Duomo di Milano|Duomo]] and the [[Pirelli Tower]]. This redevelopment was to continue until Milan hosts [[Expo 2015]].
  
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==Education==
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Milan is the second [[railway]] hub of [[Italy]], and the five major stations of Milan, including the [[Milan Central station]], are among Italy's busiest. The first railroad built in Milan, the [[Milan and Monza Rail Road]] was opened for service on August 17, 1840. Milan has three [[Rapid transit|subway]] lines, with 50 miles (80km) of track, and a light metro-service connecting the San Raffaele Hospital with the Cascina Gobba station.
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Milan is home to numerous universities and other institutions of higher learning:
 
  
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====State Universities====
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Greater Milan has an extensive tramway system, with more than 178 miles (286km) of track, and 20 lines. Milan also has four [[trolley]]bus routes, and included in the fleet are 10 air-conditioned Cristalis trolleybuses. Currently 93 [[bus]] lines cover more than 664 miles (1070km) between them.
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* [[Università degli Studi di Milano]] Faculties: Agriculture, Arts and Philosophy, Law, Sciences, Medicine and Surgery, Pharmacy, Political Science, Sport and Exercise Science, Veterinary Medicine
 
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* [[University of Milan Bicocca]] Faculties: Economics; Educational Science; Law; Mathematics, Physics and Natural Sciences; Medicine and Surgery; Psychology; Sociology; Statistical Sciences
 
  
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====Science and medical====
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Milan has a privately operated [[Taxicab|taxi]] service. Malpensa International Airport is located near the industrial towns of [[Busto Arsizio]] and [[Gallarate]]. Milan also has the [[Linate Airport]] within the city limits (for European and domestic traffic), and Orio al Serio Airport close to the city of [[Bergamo]].
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* [[Vita-Salute San Raffaele University]]
 
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* [[Tethys Research Institute]]
 
  
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====Architecture and engineering====
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==Demographics==
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*[[Politecnico di Milano]] Statal University - 17 Departments
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[[Image:0660 - Milano - Facciata chiesa valdese - Foto Giovanni Dall'Orto 5-May-2007.jpg|thumb|right|250px|The [[Waldensian]] Church in Milan, built in 1949, incorporates materials from the demolished Catholic gothic church of [[San Giovanni in Conca]].]]
 +
[[Image:Milano, ca' granada 01.JPG|thumb|right|250px|State University of Milan.]]
  
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====Business, economic and social====
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The city proper ''(Comune di Milano)'' had a population of 1,338,436 inhabitants in 2011. <ref name=ISTAT/> The official population figures of the Milan [[metropolitan area]] was 3,076,643 residents, making it the second largest in Italy after [[Rome]].
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*[[Bocconi University]]  
 
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*[[SDA Bocconi|Scuola Superiore di Direzione Aziendale – Bocconi]]
 
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*[[Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore]]
 
  
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====Language, art and music====
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As of 2006, the Italian national institute of statistics ISTAT estimated that 292,204 foreign-born [[immigration|immigrants]] live in Milan Urban Area, equal to nine percent of total population.
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*[[La Scala|Accademia d’Arti e Mestieri dello Spettacolo alla Scala]]
 
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*[[Brera Academy]] Academy of Fine Arts of Brera
 
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*[[IULM University|Università I.U.L.M.]]
 
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*[[Nuova Accademia di Belle Arti Milano - NABA]]
 
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*[[Milan Conservatory|Conservatorio Superiore "G. Verdi" di Milano]]
 
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* Scuola Beato Angelico
 
  
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====Actor and Theatre School====
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In addition to [[Italian language|Italian]], approximately a third of the population of western [[Lombardy]] speak the [[Western Lombard language]], also known as ''Insubric.'' In Milan, some residents can speak the traditional [[Milanese]] language, which is the urban variety of Western Lombard, and which is not the Milanese-influenced regional variety of the Italian language.
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*  [[Scuole Civiche di Milano]] Politecnico della Cultura, delle Arti e delle Lingue
 
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*  [[Piccolo Teatro di Milano]]  
 
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*  [[Accademia dei Filodrammatici]]
 
  
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====Fashion and design====
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Milan's population, like that of Italy as a whole, is overwhelmingly [[Roman Catholic]]. It is the seat of the Roman Catholic [[Archdiocese of Milan]]. Other religions practiced include
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*[[Domus Academy, Postgraduate School of Design]]
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[[Buddhism]], [[Judaism]], [[Islam]], and [[Protestantism]].
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*[[Istituto Europeo di Design]]
 
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*[[Istituto Marangoni]]
 
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*[[Politecnico di Milano - Facoltà del Design]]
 
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* SPD Scuola Politecnica Di Design
 
  
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====Other====
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Milan has its own historic Catholic rite known as the [[Ambrosian Rite]], which varies slightly from the Catholic rite, with some differences in the [[liturgy]] and mass celebrations, and in its calendar. The Ambrosian rite is practiced elsewhere in [[Lombardy]] and in the [[Swiss]] canton of [[Ticino]].
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*I.S.E.F. Milano – Centro accademico sportivo "Rino Fenaroli"
 
  
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==Transportation==
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[[Liturgical music]] differs, since the [[Gregorian chant]] was not used in Milan because its own [[Ambrosian chant]], established by the [[Council of Trent]] (1545-1563), and earlier than the Gregorian <ref>Joseph Otten, ''Catholic Encyclopedia,'' 1907 ed., [http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/01389a.htm Ambrosian Chant] ''newadvent.org''. Retrieved October 28, 2008.</ref>, was used instead. The unique ''schola cantorum'' has emerged to preserve this [[music]].
  
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[[Image:IMG 9882.jpg|thumb|left|200px|Airwiew of [[Malpensa International Airport]]. It handled over 23.8&nbsp;million passengers in 2007.]]
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Milan is home to numerous [[University|universities]] and other institutes of higher learning. State universities include the Università degli Studi di Milano, and the University of Milan Bicocca.
  
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===Airports===
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[[Science]] and medical universities include Vita-Salute San Raffaele University, and Tethys Research Institute. The Politecnico di Milano and Statal University teach [[architecture]] and [[engineering]]. Business, [[economics]] and social studies are taught at Bocconi University, Bocconi, and Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore.  
−
The city has a large international airport known as [[Malpensa International Airport]] (''MXP''), located near the industrial towns of [[Busto Arsizio]] and [[Gallarate]] and connected to the downtown with the "''Malpensa Express''" railway service (from Cadorna Station and Stazione Centrale (Central 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 Airport|Orio al Serio]] (''BGY''), close to the city of [[Bergamo]]. Vergiate, Venegono, Bresso, Voghera and Montichiari are additional airports in the region.
 
  
−
===Subways, tramways, trolleybuses and buses===
+
[[Language]], [[art]] and [[music]] are taught at La Scala, Brera Academy, and IULM University, among others, while fashion and design are taught at Domus Academy, Istituto Europeo di Design, and Istituto Marangoni, among others.
−
[[Image:Tramway milan1.jpg|thumb|right|175px|The classic [[trams]] from the 1920s are still in use.]]
 
−
Milan has 3 [[Rapid transit|subway]] lines (M1 – red, M2 – green, M3 – yellow) and the system, called [[Milan Transportation System|Milan Metro]] – ''La Metrò'' or sometimes ''Il Metrò'', running for more than 80&nbsp;km. There is also a light metro-service, "Metrò S. Raffaele", connecting the San Raffaele Hospital with Cascina Gobba station (M2). Extensions of lines 1, 2 and 3 are under construction, to create more than 15&nbsp;km of track with 10 new stations. Line 5, linking San Siro sports stadium (west) with Viale Fulvio Testi (north east), through the new City Life complex is also under construction, to be  finished in the first half of 2012. Line 4, merged with a proposed line 6, linking San  Cristoforo railway station (southwest) with Linate Airport is in planning stage.
 
  
−
The "Passante" is a railway tunnel under the city centre used by suburban trains, and allows passengers coming from suburbs a direct interchange to the three (soon to be four) metro lines at Garibaldi, Repubblica, Porta Venezia and Rogoredo stations.
+
==Society and culture==
 +
[[Image:Santa Maria delle Grazie Milano.jpg|thumb|right|250px|[[Santa Maria delle Grazie (Milan)|Santa Maria delle Grazie]], created by [[Bramante]].]]
 +
[[Image:PiazzadelDuomoMilan.jpg|thumb|250px|Piazza del Duomo.]]
 +
[[Image:Milano-scalanotte.jpg|thumb|right|250px|[[Teatro alla Scala]] by night]]
  
−
Greater Milan also has one of the most extensive tramway systems {{Fact|date=June 2007}} in the world, with more than 286&nbsp;km of track, and 20 lines.
+
Milan has its own regional [[cuisine]], which includes "[[Cotoletta|cotoletta alla milanese]]," a breaded [[veal]] cutlet pan-fried in butter, ''[[cassoeula]],'' which is stewed pork rib chops and [[sausage]] with Savoy [[cabbage]] and [[tomato]] sauce, [[ossobuco]] (stewed veal shank with tomato or lemon sauce), [[Risotto|risotto alla milanese]] (with [[saffron]], white [[wine]] and beef marrow), ''busecca'' (stewed tripe with beans and tomato sauce), and ''brasato'' (stewed beef or pork with wine and potatoes). The best known Milanese [[cheese]] is [[gorgonzola cheese|gorgonzola]] from the nearby town of that name.  
  
−
Milan also has four trolleybus routes; included in the fleet are ten air-conditioned Cristalis trolleybuses.
+
[[Football (soccer)|Football]] is the most popular sport in [[Italy]], and Milan is home to two world-famous football teams: [[A.C. Milan]] and [[Internazionale Milano F.C.|Internazionale]]. The city hosted the [[FIFA World Cup]] in 1934 and 1990, the [[UEFA European Football Championship]] in 1980. The famous [[Autodromo Nazionale Monza|Monza]] [[Formula One]] circuit is located near the city, inside a wide park. It is one of the world's oldest [[auto racing]] circuits. The capacity for the [[F1]] races is currently around 137,000 spectators. Milan and [[Lombardy]] are official candidates for the Summer [[Olympic Games]] of 2020 ("Milan-Lombardy 2020").
  
−
Ninety-three bus lines cover over 1,070&nbsp;km between them. The local transportation authority (''ATM'') transported more than 600&nbsp;million passengers in 2003 .
+
===Places of interest===
−
 
+
Milan is an artistic center. Chief landmarks include:
−
===Railways===
+
*[[Duomo di Milano|The Duomo]], the world's largest collection of [[marble]] statues with the widely visible golden [[Madonna]] statue on top of the spire, la ''Madunina'' (little Madonna), the symbol of Milan
−
[[Image:DSC02042 Uscita Stazione centrale di Milano - Foto Giovanni Dall'Orto 1-1-2007.jpg|thumb|right|200px|[[ETR 500]] at [[Milan Central Station]].]]
+
* [[Teatro alla Scala]]. Milan is also one of the most important centers in the world for ''[[Opera]] lirica,'' with his famous ''Teatro alla Scala'' ([[La Scala, theatre|La Scala]]).
−
Milan is the second railway hub of [[Italy]], and the five major stations of Milan, amongst which the [[Milan Central station]], are among Italy's busiest. The first railroad built in Milan, the [[Milan and Monza Rail Road]] was opened for service on [[August 17]], [[1840]].
+
*The [[Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II]], a large, covered arcade linking the [[Duomo]]'s piazza with the Teatro alla Scala
−
 
+
*The [[Castello Sforzesco]] and the [[Parco Sempione]]
−
High speed train lines are under construction all across Italy, and new lines will open from Milan to Rome and Naples, and from Milan to Torino.
+
*The [[Basilica of Sant'Ambrogio]]
−
 
+
*The Palaeo-Christian [[Basilica of San Lorenzo, Milan|Basilica of San Lorenzo]]
−
Other than the Stazione Centrale, High Speed Trains will sometimes stop also at:
+
*The [[Biblioteca Ambrosiana]], containing 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 [[Pinacoteca Brera|Brera Academy of Fine Arts]]
−
*[[Milan Rogoredo Station|Milano Rogoredo]] (for trains coming from Bologna and Rome)
+
*The church of [[Santa Maria delle Grazie (Milan)|Santa Maria delle Grazie]], which houses one of the most famous paintings of [[Leonardo da Vinci]], [[The Last Supper (Leonardo)|''The Last Supper'']] (''L'ultima cena'' or ''Il cenacolo'')
−
*Milano/Rho Fiera (from Turin)
+
*The church of [[Santa Maria presso San Satiro]], with a famous [[trompe l'oeil]] traditionally ascribed to [[Bramante]]
−
*Milano Pioltello (from the planned high speed line from Venice)
+
*The [[Cimitero Monumentale di Milano]]
−
 
+
*The [[Pinacoteca di Brera]], [[Pinacoteca Ambrosiana]], [[Museo Poldi Pezzoli|Poldi Pezzoli]], the [[Bagatti Valsecchi Museum]] and the Musei del Castello galleries, which host a great number of pictorial masterpieces, [[statue]]s, [[Ancient Egypt|Egyptian]] antiquities, and early Christian works.
−
===Regional-Metropolitan Railway services===  
 
−
The Suburban Railway Service ( "S" Lines, a service similar to the French RER and German S-Bahn), composed of eight suburban lines and ten 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 [[Ferrovie Nord Milano|LeNord]] and [[Trenitalia]] suburban networks.
 
−
See the map of the M (subway) + S (regional metropolitan railway) Network on msrmilano.com
 
−
Go on [http://www.msrmilano.com/images/schema75.pdf]
 
−
 
 
−
===Taxis===
 
−
Milan has a [[Taxicab|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 a set fare at the beginning and an additional fare based on time elapsed and distance traveled. As the number of licences is kept low by lobbying of present taxi drivers and finding a taxi may be difficult in rush hours or rainy days, and almost impossible during public transportation strikes, which occur often.
 
−
 
 
−
==Culture==
 
−
[[Image:Milano-scalanotte.jpg|thumb|right|200px|[[Teatro alla Scala]] by night]]
 
−
{{Expand-section|date=February 2008}}
 
−
 
 
−
===Museums===
 
−
* [[Acquario Civico di Milano]]
 
−
* [[Archivio Storico Civico]] e [[Biblioteca Trivulziana]]
 
−
* Casa di riposo per  musicisti Giuseppe Verdi - burial site of [[Giuseppe Verdi]] and [[Giuseppina Strepponi]]
 
−
* [[Castello Sforzesco di Milano|Castello Sforzesco]] e civiche raccolte ivi contenute
 
−
* [[Civico Museo d'Arte Contemporanea di Milano|Civico Museo d'Arte Contemporanea]]
 
−
* [[Galleria d'Arte Moderna di Milano|Galleria d'Arte Moderna]]
 
−
* [[Galleria Vinciana]]
 
−
* [[Museo Archeologico]]
 
−
* [[Museo Bagatti Valsecchi]]
 
−
* [[Museo Civico di Storia Naturale di Milano]]
 
−
* [[Museo d'Arte Antica]]
 
−
* [[Museo del Duomo di Milano]]
 
−
* [[Museo del Giocattolo]]
 
−
* [[Museo del Risorgimento di Milano]]
 
−
* [[Museo degli strumenti musicali (Milano)|Museo degli Strumenti Musicali]]
 
−
* [[Museo della Preistoria e Protostoria]]
 
−
* [[Museo delle Arti Decorative]]
 
−
* [[Museo di Milano]]
 
−
* [[Museo diocesano di Milano|Museo Diocesano]]
 
−
* [[Museo di Storia Contemporanea]]
 
−
* [[Museo Egizio di Milano]]
 
−
* [[Museo Nazionale della Scienza e della Tecnologia "Leonardo da Vinci"]]
 
−
* [[Museo Poldi Pezzoli]]
 
−
* [[Museo Storico Alfa Romeo]]
 
−
* [[Museo Teatrale alla Scala di Milano|Museo Teatrale alla Scala]]
 
−
* [[Padiglione di Arte Contemporanea]]
 
−
* [[Palazzo Reale di Milano|Palazzo Reale]]
 
−
* [[Pinacoteca Ambrosiana]] e [[Biblioteca Ambrosiana]]
 
−
* [[Pinacoteca di Brera]]
 
−
* [[Triennale (Palazzo dell'Arte)]]
 
−
 
 
−
===Literature===
 
−
In the late eighteenth century, and throughout the nineteenth, Milan was an important centre for intellectual discussion and literary creativity. The [[Age of Enlightenment|Enlightenment]] found here a fertile ground. [[Cesare Beccaria]], with his famous ''[[Dei delitti e delle pene]]'', and [[Pietro Verri]], with the periodical ''[[Il Caffè]]'' were able to exert a considerable influence over the new middle-class culture, thanks also to an open-minded Austrian administration. In the first years of the nineteenth century, the ideals of the [[Romantic movement]] made their impact on the cultural life of the city and its major writers debated the primacy of Classical versus Romantic poetry. Here, too, [[Giuseppe Parini]], and [[Ugo Foscolo]] published their most important works, and were admired by younger poets as masters of ethics, as well as of literary craftmanship. Foscolo's poem ''[[Dei sepolcri]]'' was inspired by a Napoleonic law which—against the will of many of its inhabitants—was being extended to the city.
 
−
 
 
−
In the third decade of the nineteenth century, [[Alessandro Manzoni]] wrote his novel ''[[I Promessi Sposi]]'', a ''Milanese story of the XVII century, etc.''. This historical novel was the real manifesto of Italian Romanticism, which found in Milan its centre. The periodical ''[[Il Conciliatore]]'' published articles by [[Silvio Pellico]], [[Giovanni Berchet]], [[Ludovico di Breme]], who were both Romantic in poetry and patriotic in politics.
 
−
 
 
−
After the [[Unification of Italy]] in 1861, Milan lost its political importance; nevertheless it retained a sort of central position in cultural debates. New ideas and movements from other countries of Europe were accepted and discussed: thus [[Realism]] and [[Naturalism]] gave birth to an Italian movement, ''[[Verismo]]''. The greatest ''verista'' novelist, [[Giovanni Verga]], was born in Sicily but wrote his most important books in Milan.
 
−
 
 
−
===Media===
 
−
Milan is the base of operations for many local and nationwide communication services and businesses, such as newspapers, magazines, and TV and radio stations.
 
−
 
 
−
Newspapers:
 
−
*''[[Corriere della Sera]]''
 
−
*''[[Il Giornale]]''
 
−
*''[[Il Giorno]]''
 
−
*''[[Il Sole 24 Ore]]''
 
−
*''[[Il Manifesto]]''
 
−
*''[[La Repubblica]]''
 
−
*''[[La Gazzetta dello Sport]]'' (sports only)
 
−
*''[[La Padania]]''
 
−
*''[[Libero (newspaper)|Libero]]''
 
−
*''[[Milano Finanza]]''
 
−
 
 
−
Magazines:
 
−
*''La Settimana Enigmistica''
 
−
*''[[Abitare]]'' (architecture & design monthly)
 
−
*''[[Casabella]]'' (architecture & design monthly)
 
−
*''[[Domus (magazine)|Domus]]'' (architecture & design monthly)
 
−
*[[Panorama (Italian magazine)|''Panorama'']] (weekly)
 
−
 
 
−
===Language===
 
−
In addition to [[Italian language|Italian]], approximately a third of the population of western [[Lombardy]] can speak the [[Western Lombard language]], also known as Insubric. In Milan, some natives of the city can speak the traditional [[Milanese]] language—that is to say the urban variety of Western Lombard, which is not to be confused with the Milanese-influenced regional variety of the Italian language.
 
−
 
 
−
===Religion===
 
−
[[Image:0660 - Milano - Facciata chiesa valdese - Foto Giovanni Dall'Orto 5-May-2007.jpg|thumb|right|The [[Waldensian]] Church in Milan, built in 1949, incorporates materials from the demolished Catholic gothic church of [[San Giovanni in Conca]].]]
 
−
Milan's population, like that of Italy as a whole, is overwhelmingly [[Roman Catholic|Catholic]]. It is the seat of the [[Roman Catholic]] [[Archdiocese of Milan]]. Other religions practised include
 
−
[[Buddhism]]<ref>[http://www.lankaramaya.com/ Lankarama Buddhist Temple - Milan,Italy<!-- Bot generated title —>]</ref>,
 
−
[[Judaism]]<ref>[http://www.mosaico-cem.it/ Jewish Community of Milan]</ref>, [[Islam]]<ref>[http://orthodoxeurope.org/page/8/4.aspx Islam in Italy » Inter-Religious Dialogue » OrthodoxEurope.org<!-- Bot generated title —>]</ref><ref>[http://www.americanchronicle.com/articles/viewArticle.asp?articleID=7230 American Chronicle - Milan: The Center for Radical Islam in Europe<!-- Bot generated title —>]</ref>
 
−
and [[Protestantism]]<ref>[http://www.protestantiamilano.it/ Centro Culturale Protestante - Protestanti a Milano delle Chiese Battiste Metodiste Valdesi<!-- Bot generated title —>]</ref><ref>[http://www.milanovaldese.it/ Chiesa Evangelica Valdese - Milano<!-- Bot generated title —>]</ref>. 
 
−
 
 
−
Milan has its own historic Catholic rite known as the [[Ambrosian Rite]] (it: ''rito ambrosiano''). It varies slightly from the typical Catholic rite (the ''Roman'', used in all other western regions), with some differences in the [[liturgy]] and mass celebrations, and in the calendar (for example, the date of [[carnival]] is celebrated some days after the common date). The Ambrosian rite is also practised in other surrounding locations in [[Lombardy]] and in the [[Swiss]] canton of [[Ticino]].
 
−
 
 
−
Another important difference concerns the liturgical music. The [[Gregorian chant]] was completely unused in Milan and surrounding areas, because the official one was its own [[Ambrosian chant]], definitively established by the [[Council of Trent]] (1545-1563) and earlier than the Gregorian [http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/01389a.htm]. To preserve this music there has developed the unique ''schola cantorum'', a college, and an Institute in partnership with the "Pontifical Ambrosian Institute of Sacred Music" (PIAMS) in Rome [http://www.unipiams.org/en/1].
 
−
 
 
−
===Food===
 
−
Like most cities in Italy, Milan and its surrounding area has its own regional cuisine. Milanese cuisine includes "[[Cotoletta|cotoletta alla milanese]]", a breaded veal (pork and turkey can be used) cutlet pan-fried in butter (which some claim to be of [[Austria]]n origin, as it is similar to Viennese "Wienerschnitzel", while others claim that the "Wienerschnitzel" derived from the "cotoletta alla milanese"). Other typical dishes are ''[[cassoeula]]'' (stewed pork rib chops and sausage with Savoy cabbage and tomato sauce), [[ossobuco]] (stewed veal shank with tomato or lemon sauce), [[Risotto|risotto alla milanese]] (with saffron, white wine and beef marrow), ''busecca'' (stewed tripe with beans and tomato sauce), and ''brasato'' (stewed beef or pork with wine and potatoes). Season-related pastries include ''chiacchiere'' (flat fritters dusted with sugar) and ''tortelli'' (fried spherical cookies) for [[Carnival]], ''colomba'' (glazed cake shaped as a dove) for [[Easter]], ''pane dei morti'' ("Bread of the Dead", cookies aromatized with cinnamon) for [[All Soul's Day]] and [[panettone]] for Christmas. The ''salame milano'', a [[salami]] with a very fine grain, is widespread throughout Italy. The best known Milanese cheese is [[gorgonzola cheese|gorgonzola]] from the nearby town of that name, although today the major gorgonzola producers operate in Piedmont.
 
−
 
 
−
===Sports===
 
−
The city hosted, among other events, the [[FIFA World Cup]] in 1934 and 1990, the [[UEFA European Football Championship]] in 1980.
 
−
 
 
−
[[Football (soccer)|Football]]  is the most popular sport in Italy, and Milan is home to two world-famous football teams: [[A.C. Milan]] and [[Internazionale Milano F.C.|Internazionale]]. The former is normally referred to as "Mìlan" (notice the stress on the first syllable, unlike the English and Milanese name of the city), the latter as "Inter". A match between these two teams is known as the [[Derby della Madonnina|Milan derby]].
 
−
 
 
−
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]], [[Paolo Maldini]], [[Giuseppe Meazza]], [[Giacinto Facchetti]], [[Luigi Riva]], [[Gaetano Scirea]], [[Giuseppe Bergomi]], [[Walter Zenga]], [[Antonio Cabrini]], [[Roberto Donadoni]], [[Gianluca Vialli]], [[Silvio Piola]], [[Gabriele Oriali]], [[Giovanni Trapattoni]] and [[Franco Baresi]] as well as many others.
 
−
*The famous [[Autodromo Nazionale Monza|Monza]] [[Formula One]] circuit is located near the city, inside a wide park. It is one of the world's oldest car racing circuits. 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, with the exception of 1980.
 
−
*[[Olimpia Milano]] (sponsored Armani) is a successful Italian and European [[basketball]] team. It is one of the most important and successful Italian teams and also one of the top teams in Europe too. Olimpia plays at the DatchForum arena (capacity 14,000).
 
−
*[[Rhinos Milano|Rhinos Milano American Football Club]] is the oldest American football club in Milan and has won four Italian Super Bowls.  They are one of the five foundation clubs of the Italian Football League.
 
−
*[[CUS Milano Baseball]] is the oldest baseball club in Milan and has won eight Italian Scudetti.
 
−
*The [[Amatori Rugby Milano]] has won 18 [[Super 10 (Italian premiership)|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 [[Hockey Club Junior Milano Vipers|Vipers Milano]] have won 5 of the last 7 [[Serie A (hockey)|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, [[Jan Kodes]], [[Adriano Panatta]], [[Corrado Barazzutti]], Moreno, [[Björn Borg]], Smid, [[Ivan Lendl]], [[Guy Forget]], [[Jim Courier]], [[Goran Ivanišević]], [[Yevgeny Kafelnikov]], and [[Guillermo Coria]].
 
−
 
 
−
Milan and [[Lombardy]] are official candidates for the Summer Olympic Games of 2020 ("Milan-Lombardy 2020").
 
−
 
 
−
===Stadia===
 
−
[[Image:San Siro3.JPG|right|thumb|200px|[[San Siro]] Stadium, one of Europe's largest.]]
 
−
*[[Autodromo Nazionale Monza]] – car and motorcycle racing – 137,000
 
−
*[[San Siro]] – only football; Milan and Inter – 85,700
 
−
*[[Arena Civica]] – Athletics, Rugby, Football, American Football 30,000
 
−
*Brianteo – Athletics, Football – 18,568
 
−
*Ippodromo del Trotter – Horse Racing – 16,000
 
−
*Ippodromo del Galoppo – Horse Racing – 15,000
 
−
*[[Datch Forum]] – Basketball, Ice Hockey, Volleyball, Music – 9,000 to 12,000
 
−
*MazdaPalace – Basketball, Volleyball – 9,000
 
−
*[[Velodromo Vigorelli]] – Cycling, American Football – 12,000
 
−
*PalaLido – Basketball, Volleyball – 5,000
 
−
*PalaSHARP - 9,000
 
−
*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).
 
−
 
 
−
{| class="wikitable"
 
−
|-
 
−
! scope="col" | Club
 
−
! scope="col" | League
 
−
! scope="col" | Sport
 
−
! scope="col" | Venue
 
−
! scope="col" | Established
 
−
! scope="col" | Championships
 
−
|-
 
−
! scope="row" style="font-weight: normal; text-align: center;" | [[A.C. Milan]]
 
−
| [[Serie A]]
 
−
| Football
 
−
| [[San Siro|San Siro – Giuseppe Meazza]]
 
−
| 1899
 
−
| 4 World Club cups; 7 European championship; 17 Italian championship; 2 Cup Winners' Cup
 
−
|-
 
−
! scope="row" style="font-weight: normal; text-align: center;" | [[F.C. Internazionale Milano]]
 
−
| [[Serie A]]
 
−
| Football
 
−
| [[San Siro|San Siro – Giuseppe Meazza]]
 
−
| 1908
 
−
| 2 World Club cups; 2 European championship; 16 Italian championship; 3 UEFA Cups
 
−
|-
 
−
! scope="row" style="font-weight: normal; text-align: center;" | [[Olimpia Milano]]
 
−
| [[Serie A (basketball)|Serie A]]
 
−
| Basketball
 
−
| [[Filaforum|Datchforum]]
 
−
| 1936
 
−
| 1 World cup; 3 European championship; 25 Italian championship; 3 Cup Winners' Cup; 2 Korac cup
 
−
|-
 
−
! scope="row" style="font-weight: normal; text-align: center;" | [[Hockey Club Junior Milano Vipers|H.C. Milano/Milano Vipers]]
 
−
| [[Serie A (hockey)|Serie A]]
 
−
| Ice Hockey
 
−
| [[Agorà]]
 
−
| 1924
 
−
| 2 European championship; 20 Italian championship
 
−
|-
 
−
! scope="row" style="font-weight: normal; text-align: center;" | [[Hockey Club Devils Courmayeur|H.C. Diavoli/Devils]] today settled in Courmayeur
 
−
| [[Serie A (hockey)|Serie A]]
 
−
| Ice Hockey
 
−
| &ndash;
 
−
| 1930
 
−
| 3 European championship; 7 Italian championship
 
−
|-
 
−
! scope="row" style="font-weight: normal; text-align: center;" | [[Amatori Rugby Milano]]
 
−
| Serie B
 
−
| Rugby
 
−
| [[Stadio Giuriati]]
 
−
| 1928
 
−
| 18 Italian championship
 
−
|-
 
−
! scope="row" style="font-weight: normal; text-align: center;" | [[Rhinos Milano]]
 
−
| [[Serie A2 (football)|Serie A2]]
 
−
| American Football
 
−
| [[Velodromo Vigorelli-Maspes]]
 
−
| 1977
 
−
| 4 Italian championship
 
−
|}
 
−
 
 
−
===Parks and gardens===
 
−
* [[Orto Botanico di Brera]], a historic [[botanical garden]]
 
−
* [[Orto Botanico di Cascina Rosa]], a new [[botanical garden]]
 
−
* [[Parco Sempione]], in ancient times the park of the [[Castello Sforzesco]]
 
−
* [[Parco Nord Milano]]
 
−
* [[Giardini Pubblici "Indro Montanelli"]]
 
−
* [[Parco di Monza]]
 
−
* [[Parco Lambro]]
 
−
 
 
−
==Sister cities==
 
−
Milan is twinned with the following cities:
 
−
*{{flagicon|Iran}} [[Mashhad]], [[Iran]]
 
−
* {{flagicon|Palestine}} [[Bethlehem]], [[Palestinian Authority]]
 
−
* {{flagicon|UK}} [[Blackpool]], [[United Kingdom]]
 
−
* {{flagicon|COL}} [[Bogotá]], [[Colombia]]
 
−
* {{flagicon|SEN}} [[Dakar]], [[Senegal]]
 
−
* {{flagicon|GER}} [[Frankfurt]], [[Germany]]
 
−
* {{flagicon|MEX}} [[Guadalajara, Jalisco|Guadalajara]], [[Mexico]]
 
−
* {{flagicon|POL}} [[Krakow]], [[Poland]]
 
−
* {{flagicon|FRA}} [[Lyon]], [[France]]
 
−
* {{flagicon|AUS}} [[Melbourne]], [[Australia]]
 
−
* {{flagicon|JPN}} [[Osaka]], [[Japan]]
 
−
* {{flagicon|RUS}} [[Saint Petersburg]], [[Russia]]
 
−
* {{flagicon|BRA}} [[Sao Paulo]], [[Brazil]]
 
−
* {{flagicon|BRA}} [[Maceió]], [[Brazil]]
 
−
* {{flagicon|People's Republic of China}} [[Shanghai]], [[People's Republic of China]]
 
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* {{flagicon|ISR}} [[Tel Aviv]], [[Israel]]
 
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* {{flagicon|CAN}} [[Toronto]], [[Canada]]
 
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* {{flagicon|USA}} [[Chicago]], [[USA]]
 
  
 +
==Looking to the Future==
 +
Milan's geographic location within Italy makes it the nation's most important economic center. It is strategically situated at the center of the traffic routes of the Val Padana and lies on the borderline between the advanced [[agriculture]] of the south and the limited agriculture of the north. The city also has highly developed [[industry]] and an extensive network of road and rail communications, giving it an economic advantage over other less-developed Italian cities. Its infrastructure contains [[railway|railroads]] that are carefully integrated within its landscape.
  
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Other forms of cooperation and city friendship:
+
It was a center of lyric [[opera]] in the late eighteenth century, and [[La Scala]] became the reference theater in the world. It remains a city of [[culture]] today. It is also one of the major financial and business centers of the world, is one of the world capitals of [[design]] and [[fashion]], and is a premier location in the worlds of motorsport and [[soccer]].  
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* {{flagicon|Jordan}} [[Amman]], [[Jordan]]
 
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* {{flagicon|Thailand}} [[Bangkok]], [[Thailand]]
 
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* {{flagicon|SRB}} [[Belgrade]], [[Serbia]]
 
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* {{flagicon|BRA}} [[Belo Horizonte]], [[Brazil]]
 
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* {{flagicon|ARG}} [[Buenos Aires]], [[Argentina]]
 
−
* {{flagicon|KOR}} [[Daegu]], [[South Korea]]
 
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* {{flagicon|PER}} [[Lima]], [[Peru]]
 
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* {{flagicon|COL}} [[Medellín]], [[Colombia]]
 
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* {{flagicon|Belarus}} [[Minsk]], [[Belarus]]
 
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* {{flagicon|CAN}} [[Montreal]], [[Canada]] {{Fact|date=February 2008}}
 
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* {{flagicon|Bulgaria}} [[Sofia]], [[Bulgaria]]
 
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* {{flagicon|Mongolia}} [[Ulaan Baataar]], [[Mongolia]]
 
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* {{flagicon|Croatia}} [[Zagreb]], [[Croatia]].
 
  
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==See also==
+
Milan is an industrious and vital city, which in 2008 was in a long phase of reconstruction in preparation for [[Expo 2015]] and further economic growth.
−
*[[Mayors of Milan]]
 
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*[[Milan metropolitan area]]
 
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*[[Province of Milan]]
 
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*[[Lombardy]]
 
  
 
==Notes==
 
==Notes==
−
{{reflist|2}}
+
<references/>
  
 
==References==
 
==References==
−
*The decline and fall of the Roman Empire ([[Edward Gibbon]])  
+
* Brown, Nancy A. Houghton. 1982. ''The Milanese architecture of Galeazzo Alessi.'' (Outstanding dissertations in the fine arts.) New York: Garland Pub. ISBN 9780824039332
−
*The later Roman empire (Jones), Blackwell and Mott, [[Oxford]]
+
* Elmo, Federico, and Federico Elmo. 1955. ''Milan and its environs (tourist guide).'' Milan: Elmo. OCLC 39095751
−
*Milano romana / Mario Mirabella Roberti (Rusconi publisher) 1984
+
*''Eurostat''. [http://www.urbanaudit.org/CityProfiles.aspx Milano] Retrieved October 28, 2008.  
−
*Marchesi, i percorsi della Storia Minerva Italica (It)
+
* Krautheimer, Richard. 1983. ''Three Christian capitals: topography and politics.'' (Una's lectures, 4.) Berkeley: University of California Press. ISBN 9780520045415
−
*Acts of international convention "Milan Capital"), Convegno archeologico internazionale Milano
+
* Lumley, Robert, and John Foot. 2004. ''Italian cityscapes: culture and urban change in contemporary Italy.'' Exeter, UK: University of Exeter Press. ISBN 9780859897372
−
capitale dell'impero romano 1990 ; Milano Altri autori: Sena Chiesa, Gemma Arslan, Ermanno A.  
+
* Morandi, Corinna. 2007. ''Milan: the great urban transformation.'' Venezia: Marsilio. ISBN 9788831793650
−
*Milano tra l'eta repubblicana e l'eta augustea : atti del Convegno di studi, 26-27 marzo 1999, Milano 
+
* Treccani degli Alfieri, Giovanni. 1953. ''Storia di Milano.'' Milano: Fondazione Treccani degli Alfieri per la storia di Milano. OCLC 1090525 (in Italian)
−
*Milano capitale dell'impero romano : 286-402 d.c. – (Milano) : Silvana, (1990). – 533 p. : ill. ; 28 cm.  
 
−
*Milano capitale dell'Impero romano : 286-402 d.c. - album storico archeologico. – Milano : Cariplo : ET, 1991. – 111 p. : ill. ; 47 cm. (Pubbl. in occasione della Mostra tenuta a Milano nel) 1990.  
 
−
*Agostino a Milano: ''il battesimo'' - Agostino nelle terre di Ambrogio: 22-24 aprile 1987 / (relazioni di) Marta Sordi (et al.) Augustinus publ.
 
−
*Anselmo, Conte di Rosate : istoria milanese al tempo del [[Barbarossa]] / Pietro Beneventi, Europia publ.
 
  
 
==External links==
 
==External links==
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{{commons|Milano}}
+
All links retrieved November 9, 2022.
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*[http://www.atm-mi.it/ATM/eng/ ATM - Milan's Transportation Company]
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*[http://www.atm.it/en/Pages/default.aspx ATM - Milan's Transportation Company]  
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*[http://milan.arounder.com  City of Milan - official Virtual Tour website]
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*[http://www.comune.milano.it City of Milan - official website]  
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*[http://www.comune.milano.it City of Milan - official website]
 
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*[http://www.sottomilano.it Rete Metropolitana di Milano] (Italian)
 
  
 
[[Category:Geography]]
 
[[Category:Geography]]
 
[[Category:Cities]]
 
[[Category:Cities]]
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[[Category:Europe]]
  
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{{credit|Milan|245408534|}}
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{{credit|Milan|245408534|Mediolanum|235772790|}}

Latest revision as of 10:58, 10 March 2023

Milan
Milano
Comune di Milano
From top, clockwise: Porta Nuova Business District, Duomo, San Siro Stadium, Parco Sempione with the Arch of Peace in the background, Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II
From top, clockwise: Porta Nuova Business District, Duomo, San Siro Stadium, Parco Sempione with the Arch of Peace in the background, Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II
Flag of Milan
Flag		 Coat of arms of Milan
Coat of arms
Nickname: The Moral Capital of Italy[1]
Location of the city of Milan
Location of the city of Milan
Coordinates: 45°28′N 09°10′E
Settled by Celts as Mediolanum c. 396 B.C.E.
Government
 - Mayor Giuliano Pisapia
Area
 - City 181.76 km² (70.2 sq mi)
 - Urban 1,982 km² (765.3 sq mi)
Elevation +120 m (394 ft)
Population (September 30, 2011)[2]
 - City 1,338,436
 - Density 7,159/km² (18,541.7/sq mi)
 - Urban 3,076,643
 - Called Milanees/Milanese
Time zone CET (UTC+1)
 - Summer (DST) CEST (UTC+2)
Postal codes 20100, 20121-20162
Area code(s) 02
Patron saints Ambrose (December 7)
Website: commune.milano.it

Milan (Italian: Milano; Western Lombard: Milan) is the capital city of the Province of Milano and of Lombardy region (Lombardia) in northern Italy.

Milan was first settled more than 2500 years ago. Over the centuries it has been controlled alternately by Celts, the Roman Empire, Visigoths, Huns, Ostrogoths, Longobards, the Frankish Empire, the French, Austrians, and Spanish, and others. The city was important for the history of Christianity as the site of the proclamation, Edict of Milan, in which Emperor Constantine I in 313 C.E. guaranteed freedom of religion for Christians. The city was a center of lyric opera in the late eighteenth century, and where La Scala became one of the most referenced theaters worldwide.

Today it is the leading financial center and the most prosperous manufacturing and commercial city of Italy. Milan is one of the major financial and business centers of the world. Also it enjoys notoriety as one of the world capitals of design and fashion. It is a premier location for motorsport and football.

Milan was the site of the 1906 World Exposition. In the early twenty-first century Milan enjoyed a resurgence in construction, preparing for Expo 2015 and continued economic growth.

Geography

The Roman name Mediolanum includes the suffix -lanum meaning plain. Thus Mediolanum means in the midst of the plain. The German name for the city is Mailand, while in the local Western Lombard dialect, the city's name is Milán, similar to the French.

Milan is located in the Po Basin of northern Italy, 400 feet (122 meters) above sea level. Toward the Alps to the north, the terrain is arid, while marshy groves and rice fields predominate near the Po River.

Milan is classified as having a humid subtropical climate, with hot, humid summers with little rainfall and cool, damp winters. The average maximum temperature in July is around 82°F (28°C), and in January is 43°F (6°C). Snowfalls are relatively common in winter. Mean annual precipitation is 40 inches (1000mm). The city was typically often shrouded in the fog characteristic of the Po Basin, although the removal of rice fields from the southern neighborhoods, the urban heat-island effect, and the reduction of pollution levels have reduced this phenomenon in recent years, at least in the downtown area.

The Olona river, the Lambro river, and the Seveso creek run through Milan—the Olona and Seveso run mostly underground.

History

Ruins of the emperor's palace in Milan, where Costantinus and Licinius issued the Edict of Milan
View of Milan in early 1900s.
Castello Sforzesco, sign of the power of the House of Sforza.
Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II.
Santa Maria delle Grazie after the Anglo-American bombings in 1944.

Insubria

The settlement that was to become Milan was founded around 600 B.C.E. by the Celtic Insubres, for whom this region of northern Italy was called Insubria. Roman consul Gnaeus Cornelius Scipio Calvus led an attack on the Insubres and captured the city in 222 B.C.E. The Romans eventually conquered the entire region, calling the new province Cisalpine Gaul—"Gaul this side of the Alps"—and may have given the site its Latin-Celtic name—Mediolanum.

Roman rule

After several centuries of Roman control, Milan was declared the capital of the Western Roman Empire by Emperor Diocletian in 293 C.E. Diocletian chose to stay in the Eastern Roman Empire (capital Nicomedia) and his colleague Maximianus the Western one. Immediately Maximian built several gigantic monuments, like a large circus (470 x 85 meters), the Thermae Erculee, a large complex of imperial palaces and several other services and buildings. In the Edict of Milan of 313, Emperor Constantine I guaranteed freedom of religion for Christians.

Conquests

Visigoths besieged the city in 402, and the imperial residence was moved to Ravenna. The Huns overran the city in 452, and in 539, the Ostrogoths conquered and destroyed Milan during the Gothic War (535–552) against Byzantine Emperor Justinian I. In the summer of 569, the Longobards (from which the name Lombardy derives) conquered Milan, overpowering the small Byzantine army left for its defense. Milan surrendered to the Franks in 774 when Charlemagne, in an utterly novel decision, took the title "King of the Lombards." Subsequently Milan was part of the Holy Roman Empire.

Trade center

Milan prospered as a center of trade due to its command of the rich plain of the Po and routes from Italy across the Alps. The war of conquest by Frederick I Barbarossa (1122-1190) against the Lombard cities destroyed much of Milan in 1162. Milan took the leading role in the Lombard League from its founding in 1167.

As a result of the independence that the Lombard cities gained in the Peace of Constance in 1183, Milan became a duchy. In 1208 Rambertino Buvalelli served a term as podestà of the city, in 1242 Luca Grimaldi, and in 1282 Luchetto Gattilusio. In 1395, Gian Galeazzo Visconti became duke of Milan. In 1447, Filippo Maria Visconti, Duke of Milan, died without a male heir; following the end of the Visconti line, the Ambrosian Republic was enacted. However, the republic collapsed when in 1450, Milan was conquered by Francesco Sforza, of the House of Sforza, which made Milan one of the leading cities of the Italian Renaissance.

French, Austrian and Spanish domination

The French king Louis XII first laid claim to the duchy in 1492, when Swiss mercenaries defended Milan. The duchy was promised to Louis’s successor Francis I after his victory over the Swiss at the Battle of Marignano (1515). When the Habsburg Charles V defeated Francis I at the Battle of Pavia in 1525, northern Italy, including Milan, passed to the House of Habsburg. In 1556, Charles V abdicated in favor of his son Philip II and his brother Ferdinand I. Charles’ Italian possessions, including Milan, passed to Philip II and the Spanish line of Habsburgs, while Ferdinand’s Austrian line of Habsburgs ruled the Holy Roman Empire.

In 1700, the Spanish line of Habsburgs was extinguished with the death of Charles II, sparking the War of the Spanish Succession in 1701, and the occupation of all Spanish possessions by French troops backing the claim of the French Philippe of Anjou to the Spanish throne. In 1706, the French were defeated in Ramillies and Turin and were forced to yield northern Italy to the Austrian Habsburgs. In 1713, the Treaty of Utrecht formally confirmed Austrian sovereignty over most of Spain’s Italian possessions including Lombardy and Milan.

Intellectual center

In the late eighteenth century, and throughout the nineteenth, Milan was an important center for intellectual discussion and literary creativity. Napoleon conquered Lombardy in 1796, and Milan was declared capital of the Cisalpine Republic. Later, he declared Milan capital of the Reign of Italy and was crowned in the Duomo. Once Napoleon’s occupation ended, the Congress of Vienna returned Lombardy, and Milan, along with the Veneto, to Austrian control in 1815.

During this period, Milan became a center of lyric opera. There Mozart wrote three operas, and in a few years La Scala became the reference theater in the world, with its premieres of Bellini, Donizetti, Rossini and Verdi.

On March 18, 1848, the Milanese rebelled against Austrian rule. Field Marshall Radetzky was forced to withdraw from the city. However, after defeating Italian forces at Custoza on July 24, 1848, Radetzky was able to reassert Austrian control. But Italian nationalists called for the removal of Austria in the interest of Italian unification. Sardinia and France defeated Austria at the Battle of Solferino in 1859. Milan and the rest of Lombardy were incorporated into the Kingdom of Sardinia, which soon gained control of most of Italy and in 1861 was rechristened as the Kingdom of Italy. After 1861, Milan lost its political importance, but it retained a central position in cultural debates.

The political unification of Italy cemented Milan’s commercial dominance over northern Italy, and led to a flurry of railway construction that made Milan the rail hub of northern Italy. Rapid industrialization put Milan at the center of Italy’s leading industrial region.

In May 1898, Milan was shaken by the Bava-Beccaris massacre, a riot related to a high inflation rate and famine. According to the government, there were 118 dead and 450 wounded after troops fired on protesters.

Meanwhile, as Milanese banks dominated Italy’s financial sphere, the city became the country’s leading financial center. Milan’s economic growth brought a rapid expansion in the city’s area and population during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.

Rise of Fascism

The Pirelli Tower, a symbol of the post-war economic boom.

In 1919, Benito Mussolini organized the Blackshirts, who formed the core of Italy’s Fascist movement, in Milan. In 1922, Mussolini began his March on Rome from Milan.

During World War II, Milan sustained severe damage from British and American bombing. Even though Italy quit the war in 1943, the Germans occupied most of northern Italy until 1945. Some of the worst Allied bombing of Milan was in 1944. Much of the bombing focused around Milan's main train station. In 1943, anti-German resistance in occupied-Italy increased and there were explosions in Milan.

As the war came to an end, the American 1st Armored Division advanced on Milan as part of the Po Valley Campaign. Before they arrived, members of the Italian resistance movement revolted and liberated Milan. Nearby, Mussolini and several members of his Italian Social Republic were captured by the resistance at Dongo and executed. On April 29, 1945, the bodies of the Fascists were taken to Milan and hung unceremoniously upside-down at Piazzale loreto a public square. After the war, the city was the site of a refugee camp for Jews fleeing from Austria.

Post-war boom

During the 1950s and 1960s, thousands of Italians, particularly from Southern Italy, moved to Milan to seek jobs within the city’s rapidly expanding economy. The population peaked at 1,723,000 in 1971. From the 1980s, Milan attracted numerous foreign immigrants. Chinatown, a district established in the 1920s in the area around Via Paolo Sarpi, by a group of Chinese people from Zejiang, greatly expanded to become a most picturesque district.

Much of Milan's population, during the 1970s and 1980s, moved to the belt of new suburbs and small cities surrounding Milan, although Milan’s population seems to have stabilized, with a slight increase in the population of the city since 2001.

Government

The nine boroughs of Milan.

Italy is a republic in which the president is chief of state who is elected by an electoral college for a seven-year term. The prime minister, who is head of government, is appointed by the president and confirmed by parliament. The bicameral Parlamento consists of a senate of 315 members, and the chamber of deputies of 630 members, both houses elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms.

The city, or comune, of Milan is the capital of the Lombardy region, which is one of Italy's 20 regions, and of the province of Milan. Italy's 100 provinces have their own local elections. Each province has a prefect who is appointed by and responds to the central government, which he locally represents.

The comune provides many basic civil functions. It has a registry of births and deaths, a registry of deeds, and it contracts for local roads and public works. It is headed by a mayor (sindaco) assisted by a council of aldermen, the Consiglio Comunale. The offices of the comune are housed in a building usually called the Municipio, or Palazzo Comunale.

The city of Milan is subdivided into nine administrative zones, called Zona. The Zona 1 is in the historic centre - within the perimeter of the Spanish-era city walls, the other eight cover from Zona 1 borders to the city limits.

Economy

The classic trams from the 1920s are still in use.
Airwiew of Malpensa International Airport. It handled more than 23.8 million passengers in 2007.

Milan is one of the major financial and business centers of the world. It was ranked at number eight among Global Network Connectivity Rankings of U.S., European Union, and Pacific Asian Cities by the Brookings Institute.[3] Milan was listed as having the 40th largest gross domestic product in the world in 2005, at US$115-billion. Per capita GDP was US$48,300.

The city is the seat of the Italian Stock Exchange (the Borsa Italiana).

"Piazza Affari" and its hinterland is an avant-garde industrial area. Milan is also well-known as the seat of the Alfa Romeo motorcar company; for its silk production; and as a world center for fashion design.

Redevelopment has made FieraMilano - the city's Exhibition Centre and Trade Fair complex in the northwestern suburb of Rho, opened in April 2005 - the largest trade fair complex in the world.

In 2008, Milan was in a significant architectural and urban design renaissance. Numerous construction projects aimed to rehabilitate disused, peripheral industrial areas. Projects included: The addition to the Teatro alla Scala; the new quarter Santa Giulia; and the Porta Nuova project in the Garibaldi-Repubblica zone, which together would give Milan a skyline no longer dominated by the Duomo and the Pirelli Tower. This redevelopment was to continue until Milan hosts Expo 2015.

Milan is the second railway hub of Italy, and the five major stations of Milan, including the Milan Central station, are among Italy's busiest. The first railroad built in Milan, the Milan and Monza Rail Road was opened for service on August 17, 1840. Milan has three subway lines, with 50 miles (80km) of track, and a light metro-service connecting the San Raffaele Hospital with the Cascina Gobba station.

Greater Milan has an extensive tramway system, with more than 178 miles (286km) of track, and 20 lines. Milan also has four trolleybus routes, and included in the fleet are 10 air-conditioned Cristalis trolleybuses. Currently 93 bus lines cover more than 664 miles (1070km) between them.

Milan has a privately operated taxi service. Malpensa International Airport is located near the industrial towns of Busto Arsizio and Gallarate. Milan also has the Linate Airport within the city limits (for European and domestic traffic), and Orio al Serio Airport close to the city of Bergamo.

Demographics

The Waldensian Church in Milan, built in 1949, incorporates materials from the demolished Catholic gothic church of San Giovanni in Conca.
State University of Milan.

The city proper (Comune di Milano) had a population of 1,338,436 inhabitants in 2011. [2] The official population figures of the Milan metropolitan area was 3,076,643 residents, making it the second largest in Italy after Rome.

As of 2006, the Italian national institute of statistics ISTAT estimated that 292,204 foreign-born immigrants live in Milan Urban Area, equal to nine percent of total population.

In addition to Italian, approximately a third of the population of western Lombardy speak the Western Lombard language, also known as Insubric. In Milan, some residents can speak the traditional Milanese language, which is the urban variety of Western Lombard, and which is not the Milanese-influenced regional variety of the Italian language.

Milan's population, like that of Italy as a whole, is overwhelmingly Roman Catholic. It is the seat of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Milan. Other religions practiced include Buddhism, Judaism, Islam, and Protestantism.

Milan has its own historic Catholic rite known as the Ambrosian Rite, which varies slightly from the Catholic rite, with some differences in the liturgy and mass celebrations, and in its calendar. The Ambrosian rite is practiced elsewhere in Lombardy and in the Swiss canton of Ticino.

Liturgical music differs, since the Gregorian chant was not used in Milan because its own Ambrosian chant, established by the Council of Trent (1545-1563), and earlier than the Gregorian [4], was used instead. The unique schola cantorum has emerged to preserve this music.

Milan is home to numerous universities and other institutes of higher learning. State universities include the Università degli Studi di Milano, and the University of Milan Bicocca.

Science and medical universities include Vita-Salute San Raffaele University, and Tethys Research Institute. The Politecnico di Milano and Statal University teach architecture and engineering. Business, economics and social studies are taught at Bocconi University, Bocconi, and Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore.

Language, art and music are taught at La Scala, Brera Academy, and IULM University, among others, while fashion and design are taught at Domus Academy, Istituto Europeo di Design, and Istituto Marangoni, among others.

Society and culture

Santa Maria delle Grazie, created by Bramante.
Piazza del Duomo.
Teatro alla Scala by night

Milan has its own regional cuisine, which includes "cotoletta alla milanese," a breaded veal cutlet pan-fried in butter, cassoeula, which is stewed pork rib chops and sausage with Savoy cabbage and tomato sauce, ossobuco (stewed veal shank with tomato or lemon sauce), risotto alla milanese (with saffron, white wine and beef marrow), busecca (stewed tripe with beans and tomato sauce), and brasato (stewed beef or pork with wine and potatoes). The best known Milanese cheese is gorgonzola from the nearby town of that name.

Football is the most popular sport in Italy, and Milan is home to two world-famous football teams: A.C. Milan and Internazionale. The city hosted the FIFA World Cup in 1934 and 1990, the UEFA European Football Championship in 1980. The famous Monza Formula One circuit is located near the city, inside a wide park. It is one of the world's oldest auto racing circuits. The capacity for the F1 races is currently around 137,000 spectators. Milan and Lombardy are official candidates for the Summer Olympic Games of 2020 ("Milan-Lombardy 2020").

Places of interest

Milan is an artistic center. Chief landmarks include:

  • The Duomo, the world's largest collection of marble statues with the widely visible golden Madonna statue on top of the spire, la Madunina (little Madonna), the symbol of Milan
  • Teatro alla Scala. Milan is also one of the most important centers in the world for Opera lirica, with his famous Teatro alla Scala (La Scala).
  • The Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, a large, covered arcade linking the Duomo's piazza with the Teatro alla Scala
  • The Castello Sforzesco and the Parco Sempione
  • The Basilica of Sant'Ambrogio
  • The Palaeo-Christian Basilica of San Lorenzo
  • The Biblioteca Ambrosiana, containing 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
  • The church of Santa Maria delle Grazie, which houses one of the most famous paintings of Leonardo da Vinci, The Last Supper (L'ultima cena or Il cenacolo)
  • The church of Santa Maria presso San Satiro, with a famous trompe l'oeil traditionally ascribed to Bramante
  • The Cimitero Monumentale di Milano
  • The Pinacoteca di Brera, Pinacoteca Ambrosiana, Poldi Pezzoli, the Bagatti Valsecchi Museum and the Musei del Castello galleries, which host a great number of pictorial masterpieces, statues, Egyptian antiquities, and early Christian works.

Looking to the Future

Milan's geographic location within Italy makes it the nation's most important economic center. It is strategically situated at the center of the traffic routes of the Val Padana and lies on the borderline between the advanced agriculture of the south and the limited agriculture of the north. The city also has highly developed industry and an extensive network of road and rail communications, giving it an economic advantage over other less-developed Italian cities. Its infrastructure contains railroads that are carefully integrated within its landscape.

It was a center of lyric opera in the late eighteenth century, and La Scala became the reference theater in the world. It remains a city of culture today. It is also one of the major financial and business centers of the world, is one of the world capitals of design and fashion, and is a premier location in the worlds of motorsport and soccer.

Milan is an industrious and vital city, which in 2008 was in a long phase of reconstruction in preparation for Expo 2015 and further economic growth.

Notes

  1. ↑ Milan ItalyTravelsGuide.com.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 City population (i.e. that of the comune or municipality) from ISTAT, Demography in Figures. Retrieved May 17, 2012.
  3. ↑ Peter J. Taylor and Robert E. Lang, February 2005, U.S. Cities in the 'World City Network' The Brookings Institution.
  4. ↑ Joseph Otten, Catholic Encyclopedia, 1907 ed., Ambrosian Chant newadvent.org. Retrieved October 28, 2008.

References
ISBN links support NWE through referral fees

  • Brown, Nancy A. Houghton. 1982. The Milanese architecture of Galeazzo Alessi. (Outstanding dissertations in the fine arts.) New York: Garland Pub. ISBN 9780824039332
  • Elmo, Federico, and Federico Elmo. 1955. Milan and its environs (tourist guide). Milan: Elmo. OCLC 39095751
  • Eurostat. Milano Retrieved October 28, 2008.
  • Krautheimer, Richard. 1983. Three Christian capitals: topography and politics. (Una's lectures, 4.) Berkeley: University of California Press. ISBN 9780520045415
  • Lumley, Robert, and John Foot. 2004. Italian cityscapes: culture and urban change in contemporary Italy. Exeter, UK: University of Exeter Press. ISBN 9780859897372
  • Morandi, Corinna. 2007. Milan: the great urban transformation. Venezia: Marsilio. ISBN 9788831793650
  • Treccani degli Alfieri, Giovanni. 1953. Storia di Milano. Milano: Fondazione Treccani degli Alfieri per la storia di Milano. OCLC 1090525 (in Italian)

External links

All links retrieved November 9, 2022.

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