|
|
|
|
 |
Dressed-to-the-nines Milanesi swagger along the streets of their metropolis with a pace more akin to that of "Sex in the City" than "La Dolce Vita." One of the top fashion centers of the world, Milan has cultivated its plains of the Po Valley into fertile ground for the boot country's more modern riches. Stock market suits, television celebrities, and factory laborers find the hubs of their industries here in Milan, Italy's economic powerhouse.
Modern structures like skyscrapers, factories, and jet-setter nightclubs comprise just a fraction of Milan's dynamic urban configuration. A lovely passeggiata through this walkable city can include relaxed residential neighborhoods, a site-packed historic centre, and the timeless settings of verdant parks and lush gardens.
The city began as a Gallic settlement in the 4th century B.C. and later had a brief stint as the Western capital of the split Roman Empire. Though few visible traces remain from both of these periods, plenty of architectural splendors and artistic gems are easily unearthed in the city’s centro storico. The cackling gargoyles and swooping buttresses of the massive Duomo, a 500-year long construction feat, reveal the Gothic gloom of eras past.
Countless artistic masterpieces fill churches, majestic palazzi, and the impressive late-medieval Castello Sforzesco. Da Vinci's "The Last Supper," painted during the city’s period as a Renaissance city-state, lures throngs of awe-inspired tourists to its home in the Basilica of Santa Maria delle Grazie. Other historic highlights include the elegant iron and glass Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, which is essentially a 19th-century shopping mall, and the cultural trove of the Teatro alla Scala opera house.
Tranquil escapes from the vigor of urban life abound. The public parks, once reserved for promenading noble families, give refuge with their small lakes, gurgling fountains, monumental sculptures, and carefully tended greenery. For more natural indulgences, the sparkling mountain lakes of Como and Maggiore are just a day-trip away.
Like many modern cities, Milan embraces new ideas that surpass old world confines. This progressive personality, along with ethnic diversity and a commercial culture, make Milan the cosmopolitan capital of Italian innovation and ingenuity.
|
 |
|
|
){kind=link}