Milano
Milano, the world capital of fashion and design, is a metropolis in Northern Italy and the capital of Lombardy. Home to the Italian Stock Exchange, it is a financial hub also famous for its exclusive restaurants and shops. The Gothic-style Duomo and the convent of Santa Maria delle Grazie, which houses the fresco "L'ultima Cena" by Leonardo da Vinci, bear witness to the artistic and cultural heritage of the city.
Founded around 590 BC by a Celtic tribe belonging to the Insubres group and belonging to the Golasecca culture, it was conquered by the ancient Romans in 222 BC. Over the centuries, "Mediolanum" increased its importance until it became the capital of the Western Roman Empire; in this period the Edict of Milan was promulgated, which granted freedom of worship to all citizens, therefore also to Christians.
At the forefront of the fight against the Holy Roman Empire in the age of the communes, it first became a lordship and then was elevated to the dignity of a duke at the end of the 14th century, remaining at the center of the political and cultural life of Renaissance Italy. At the beginning of the 16th century it lost its independence to the Spanish Empire and then passed, almost two centuries later, under the Austrian crown: thanks to the Habsburg policies, Milan became one of the main centers of the Italian Enlightenment. Capital of the Napoleonic Kingdom of Italy, after the Restoration it was among the most active centers of the Risorgimento until its entry into the Savoy Kingdom of Italy.
The main economic and financial center of the Italian Republic, Milan led its industrial development, forming the so-called Industrial Triangle with Turin and Genoa, especially during the years of the economic boom, when industrial and urban growth also involved neighboring cities, creating the vast Milanese metropolitan area. In the cultural field, Milan is the main Italian publishing center and is at the top of the world music circuit thanks to the opera season of the Teatro alla Scala and its long operatic tradition. It is also among the main European trade fair and industrial design centers and is considered one of the world capitals of fashion.
Milano is one of the destinations of international tourism; in fact, it is among the forty most visited cities in the world (second in Italy after Rome and fifth in the European Union). Milan is considered a global city, the only Italian city in the list of Alpha World Cities.
