THE BEAUTY OF MILAN an alpha leading global city with strengths in the arts, commerce, design, fashion, finance, services and tourism CLIMATE Milan's climate is similar to much of northern Italy's inland plains, with hot, sultry summers and cold, foggy winters. MILAN’S SHORT HISTORY Strategically placed, Milan and the surrounding region of Lombardy have always been the subject of constant disputes over the centuries. Celts, Romans, Goths, Lombards, Spaniards and Austrians have all ruled the city at some stage of its history. The foundation of Milan is credited to the Celts. In 222 BC, the Romans conquered Milan renaming it M I L A N ’ S Mediolanum. H I STO RY - ANTIQUITY - DURING THE MIDDLE AGES… MILAN PROSPERED AS A CENTRE OF TRADE DUE TO ITS POSITION. IN 1167 THE LEGA LOMBARDA WAS BORN TO FIGHT THE GERMAN EMPEROR WHO WANTED TO CONQUER THE NORTH OF ITALY. EARLY MODERN Milan was conquered by the French and later by the Spanish and the Austrians. The Great Plague of Milan in 1629–31 killed an estimated 67,000 people. This episode is considered one of the last outbreaks of the centuries- long pandemic of plague that began with the Black Death. Napoleon invaded Italy in 1796, and Later, he declared Milan capital of the Kingdom of Italy and was crowned in the Duomo. Once Napoleon's occupation ended, the Congress of Vienna returned Lombardy, and Milan to Austrian control in 1815. During this period, Milan became a center of lyric opera On 18 March 1848, the Milanese rebelled against Austrian rule, during the so-called "Five Days. The Kingdom of Sardinia stepped in to help the Milanese people. After defeating the Sardinian forces, Radetzky was able to reassert Austrian control over Milan and northern Italy LATE MODERN AND In 1919, Benito Mussolini's Blackshirts CONTEMPORARY rallied for the first time in Piazza San Sepolcro and later began their March on Rome in Milan. In the 1980s, with the international success of Milanese fashion brands (like Armani, Versace and Dolce & Gabbana), Milan became one of the world's fashion capitals. PIAZZA DEL DUOMO IN THE LATE 20’S MILAN HAS ALSO HOSTED THE UNIVERSAL EXPOSITION IN 2015 Expo 2015 was a Universal Exposition hosted by Milan. Expo 2015 was held under the theme Feeding the Planet, Energy for Life. «One of the main goals EXPO wants to reach is to unite the worlds most different cultures,and show us how many beautiful cultures and traditions there are to discover all around the world.» EXPO 2015 ECONOMY The province of Milan is home to about 45% of businesses in the Lombardy region and more than 8% of all businesses in Italy. Other key sectors in the city's economy are advanced research in health and biotechnologies, chemicals and engineering, banking and finance. Economically speaking,Milan is one of the most important cities of Europe. Milan is home to a large number of media and advertising agencies, national newspapers and telecommunication companies. Major fashion houses such as Armani, Roberto Cavalli, Dolce & Gabbana, Etro, Fendi, Gucci,Moschino, Philipp Plein, Prada, John Richmond, Tod’s, Versace and many other luxury Brands became a must of the Milan Fashion Week over the years. MILAN FURNITURE FAIR NIGHTLIFE • BRERA: From the beginning of the 70’s Brera has become a must in the nightlife of the Milanese high society many people call Brera Italy’s Ibiza because of the exclusive and chic bars and discos. • THE NAVIGLI: many people decide to go for a romantic walk along the Navigli enjoying the beauty of the City. 2 MILAN 0 palazzo di b r e r a “The virgin wedding” by Raffaello Sanzio “The Kiss” by Francesco Hayez piazza della Scala teatro “la Scala” galleria Vi ttorio Emanuele II piazza Duomo Duomo palazzo reale museo del the fashion quadrangle castello sforzesco hangar Bicocca.