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Milan (Italy) / Milano (Italia)

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Hotels and Hostels in Milan, Italy

 

  
 

 

  

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  Milan is Italy's economic engine room. It is home to Italy's stock market and business centres. The hard-working Milanese run their busy metropolis with efficiency and aplomb. This stylish Milan is also the world's design capital and rivals Paris as a leading fashion centre. Milan is all about worldly pleasures. Shopping is of almost religious significance. Theatre and cinema flourish in this fashionable milieu, as does a hopping club scene and a slew of tempting restaurants. Apart from a few gems, the city is not renowned for its looks; it's the lifestyle that counts.

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

 		  
     
   

Milan is one of the most important centres in the world for Opera, with its famous Teatro alla Scala (La Scala, theatre). The Biblioteca Ambrosiana contains drawings and notebooks by Leonardo da Vinci among its vast holdings of books, manuscripts, and drawings, and is one of the main repositories of European culture. The city is also the home of the Brera Academy of Fine Arts.

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

Milan's climate is typically Mediterranean, meaning that it's possible to visit comfortably throughout the year. The mountains to the north shield the city from the worst of the Arctic chills, but there are the occasional cold snaps to watch out for. Equally uncomfortable are occasional summer heat waves. August mugginess drives many locals out of town - the calm of the city can compensate for any discomfort caused by the heat.