Milan is one of the most important commercial and industrial centers of Italy. It is the economic and financial capital of Italy. Milan was considered the "capital of miracle", that is the city that lead the extraordinary economic Italian boom. It is the city of "danee" (money), of the Stock Exchange: money seen as the activity of producing, earning, consuming, etc. But these are not the only features of this complex city. Milan is also Corriere della Sera, Mediaset and important publishing houses, Treves, Sonzogno, Ricordi; it was the city of Illuminists with "Il Caffè" (a famous magazine) (by Beccaria and Verri brothers), of Scapigliati and Futurists, of Abbado and Muti (Teatro alla Scala) and of Strehler (Piccolo Teatro). In the Castle of Milan there is the last masterpiece made by Michelangelo; in Brera visitors can find one of the earliest masterpieces by Raffaello, the "Sposalizio della Vergine" (Marriage of Our Lady); Milan has the greatest example of Romanic architecture in Italy (Sant’Ambrogio), the basilica that is like a fortress. In Santa Maria delle Grazie Church there is the Cenacolo (Last Supper) by Leonardo da Vinci, his only wall painting, still visible today. Milan is the city of fashion and shopping, too, thanks to Armani, Missoni, Rinascente, Pirelli.

Milan is excellent in many fields: fashion, design, music, publishing, economy, technology, scientific researches. It is the most lively, exiting city in Italy; tourists consider it as the most international, "open-minded", advanced city; in Milan you can always find the most recent and advanced trends.

Milan is a city that has to be discovered and then rediscovered. There is a secret Milan: the courtyards, the Liberty palaces, the churches, the Navigli area, the museums and Teatro alla Scala, Montenapoleone road, the Castle, all wait for the tourists to arrive and discover and rediscover them.

Milan includes many different souls: it is a city of contradictions. The mist gives a picturesque look to the Navigli area making it even more charming. Milan is a multiethnic world that finds its centre around the spires of the cathedral. It is a city whose souls continuously meet and intersect creating a special harmony. This harmony characterizes the centre, piazza Duomo, Corso Vittorio Emanuele: it is a rich complex exiting world made of voices, colors, languages, trends together with events, meetings, shows.

Stendhal arrived here in 1800 and wrote: "Qui ho trovato i più grandi piaceri ed i più grandi dolori", that is "Here I found my greatest joys and my greatest sorrows".

Copyright Starnetwork srl - All rights reserved
Written by Stefania Maffeo
Translation by Linda Liguori