Milan or Milano is Italy's wealthiest, most fashionable and second largest city, located on the flat Lombardy plain in the north west. It was founded in the 7th century BC and was destroyed, first by Goths in 600AD then by Barbarossa in 1157 and again by the Allies in Word War II when 25% of the city was razed in bombing raids. Milan has renewed itself under successive invaders - French, Spanish, Austrian - until it was united with Italy in 1870.
Milan's position at the centre of a canal network made it an important trade centre and its modern economic foundations were laid in the 19th century when metal workshops and rubber industries grew. Since 1970 Milan has been the capital of the Italian automobile industry and financial markets. It is also the major marketplace for the Italian fashion industry.
Visitors tend to overlook Milan's cultural heritage even though it boasts many museums and a world class art exhibitions as well as Da Vinci's 'The Last Supper' in the convent of Santa Maria delle Grazie.
Sightseeing is helped by the proximity of treasures to the central Duomo cathedral where there are many traffic free areas. Key attractions are the Duomo itself, the world's largest Gothic cathedral begun in 1386 and added to many times over.
In front of the cathedral is the glass-domed Vittorio Emanuale Gallery and a vast shopping arcade. Besides Da Vinci at the Santa Maria delle Grazie there are the Museum of Historic Art at Sforza Castle and the Poldi-Pezzoli Museum, with paintings by Mantegna and Botticelli.
Milan has a comprehensive transport network of metro, tram, bus and trolley bus with an integrated ticket system. City streets tend to be congested and driving difficult with drivers buying special cards to park in the city centre.
The main rail station in Milan is the Stazione Centrale which has high-speed links to other major cities in Italy including Bologna, Venice, Genoa, Turin, Florence and Rome. There are also 10 other stations feeding commuter routes.
Milan is also a major crossroads for traffic and the busiest roads are the A1 and A4 but it has no coach station. Air travellers arrive at Milan Malpensa about 48kn north west which handles about 30million passengers annually. Trains leave every 30mins for Milan centre and there are also shuttle bus services. There are other airports at Milan Linate which caters mainly for business travellers and Orlo al Serio which is used by budget airlines.
