History of Milan

History of Milan

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Milan:



History of Milan

Most probably ancient Milan or Mediolanum was founded around 600 BC by Celtic Insubres (Gaulish population in Lombardy). Romans captured the city in 222 BC. In 286 Diocletian moved the capital of the Western Roman Empire from Rome to Mediolanum. It was in Milan that the emperor Constantine issued the Edict of Milan in 313 AD stopping the persecution of Christians and allowing Christianity to become the dominant religion of the Empire. It was overran by Huns in 452AD, destroyed by Ostrogoths in 539AD and conquered by Lombards in 596AD.
Even Middle Ages were characterized by political uncertainty and constant battles for power. Eventually Visconti family managed to size the power and keep it for a century and a half.
Over the centuries Milan was under French, Hapsburg Spanish and Austrian rule till the 1859 when it joined the Kingdom of Italy.

Population
Milano is the second largest city in Italy with the population of some 1.3 million people. City center and surrounding communities account to some 5.2 million and therefore the urban area of Milan is the 5th largest in the European Union. Milan is the main industrial, commercial and financial center in Italy.


Did you know?

  • Between 1950-1965 the population of the city grew by 400,000.
  • After 1970 Milan saw a new rapid increase in population due to immigrants from: Morocco, Egypt, Philippines, and Ecuador and after 1990 from Albania.
  • Milano’s Duomo (Duomo Cathedral) can hold more than 20,000 people.
  • Milan was liberated before the Allies have reached the city by the Italian partisans in April 1945. During the same month the bodies of Benito Mussolini and his mistress were displayed in Piazzale Loreto.
  • In 1969 in a bank in city center a bomb exploded in a so-called Piazza Fontana massacre. The bombing was organized by neofascists with aim to provoke repressive actions against the left.
  • Milanese people, considered the city as the “moral capital” of the state, but in 1990s huge institutionalized corruption was reviled and the city got a new nickname “Tangetopoli” or “Bribesville”.
  • *Milan is among four main fashion capitals; many would say: “One did not shop until they shopped here”.
  • Milan’s cuisine is not based on pasta, spaghetti, pizza or lasagna; on contrary most of the dished are based on meet, risotto and milk products. Most famous local dishes are: Cotoletta alla Milanese, Risotto alla Milanese and Ossobuco.
  • In every bar, after 18h you will be asked: Aperitivo? Aperitivo is part of Milan’s culture and it is a synonym for a drink accompanied with well displayed buffet and a pleasant chat with friends and colleagues.

Tourist destinations in Italy:

Venice

The city of canals and alleyways, numerous islands and bridges, the city of gondolas and wondrous vistas, jaw dropping architecture, postcard - perfect palaces, the city of the carnival and the masks, in a nut shell – a city one can fall in love with quite easily. All of these words seem to describe Venice as one of the most well-known tourist destinations in the world. Venice offers loads to visitors: stunningly beautiful palaces and superb buildings that will take you on a trip through the rich history of this unique city, numerous canals to cross either on foot or by a gondola, a number of islands that still seem to stay hidden to most tourists, as well as a huge number of tourist sights and museums. As the saying goes, even the Venetians get lost in Venice.

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Rome

The eternal city, a city of glorious past, a city of chequered history, the cradle of Roman Catholic Church - are just some attributes that distinguish Rome from other popular tourist destinations. Tourists will be able to take a peek at the beauty and glory of once the most important city in the world and to enjoy its more modern architectural marvels, mostly built by a number of different popes in quick or slow succession. Don’t just visit Colosseum and Saint Peter’s Cathedral, Rome has so much more to offer.

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Ravenna

Ravenna is a city of history, numerous monuments that stand in silent testimony of its turbulent past as well as its fame and glory as the capital city of many an empire and kingdom. The main attractions of Ravenna are certainly its churches and mosaics that all date back to the 5th and 6th century and the early Christian societies in Europe. The scale and splendour of colorful Byzantine mosaics, their historical significance as well as monuments that date back to the Ostrogoths were even recognized by UNESCO who included eight sites in this small city on their World Heritage list. Ravenna is a city which lets its visitors to embark on a journey through history and especially through the history of Byzantine, from the civilization of which only but a faint remnant has survived throughout the world.

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Milan

Milano is a city of fashion, a city fascinated with the idea of beauty, a city of stunningly beautiful Gothic architecture, a city of compelling culture, a city of the young, city of fabulous fairs and architectural accomplishments. All of these attributes seem to describe Milan, which is the business capital of Italy, which oozes its charm to its visitors in a matter of seconds. To a contemporary tourist Milan offers grand, awe inspiring buildings, a multitude of museums, riveting religious buildings, its culture as a mixture of the modern trends and the tradition that goes all the way back to the Roman Empire, glitz and glamour of its shopping malls and different nightlife zones that will appeal to the tastes of all visitors.

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Lake Garda

This is the page dedicated to Lake Garda on which you can find a complete tourist guide and suggestions about what to visit while planning your trip to the lake. Lake Garda is one of three great lakes in the northern Italy. Its lovely little towns on the shores of the lake draw an incredible number of tourists each year, who flock there for its mild and mellow climate, strolls on the lake shores, traditional Italian cuisine and of course to stand in awe before the heritage of this region laid bare for us to gaze at in a host of castles, wondrous villas and picturesque villages and dainty little towns.

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Pisa

The city of Pisa rises above the docks of Arno river. Pisa is one of the most important cities in Tuscany and it is well known in the world thanks to the city’s famous symbol, the Leaning Tower of Pisa. We could say that Pisa is both, an ancient city, proud of it’s middle ages past, when Pisa was one of the leading naval force in Europe, and a modern city, full of positive energy that comes from its numerous students, as Pisa has three of the most important universities in Italy. Even if most famous monument in Pisa is the leaning Tower, it is not the only one in this city. Bell Tower of San Nicola Church and the church of San Michele of Scalzi are the other two leaning towers in Pisa.

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Lake Como

With its gardens with a riot of colour, wonderful villas and splendid panoramic views Lake Como has become one of the most visited tourist places in Italy. The compellingly beautiful Lake Como seems to have enchanted artists and travelers for centuries: from famous Giuseppe Verdi and Vicenzo Bellini who apparently wrote his opera “Norma” here, to Gioacchino Rossini and a French writer Flaubert.

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Lake Maggiore

Lake Maggiore represents the most beautiful jewel of Piemonte region in Italy. Located between mountains and valleys, Lago Maggiore is the second largest lake in Italy (after Lago di Garda), covering the surface of 212km². Almost 80% of the lake’s surface is located on Italian territory, between regions Piemonte and Lombardy, while the remaining 20% belongs to Switzerland. Here, you will have a chance to enjoy such artistic landscapes that everyone should see at least once in a lifetime. Between the emerald green vegetation and the shining blue sky stand numerous castles, sumptuous palaces and prestigious Italian gardens. These monuments testify about the link between the two noble families, which, for years, marked the history of the lake: families Visconti and Borromeo.

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Palermo

The city of Palermo was founded in the 7th century BC by the Phoenicians. They named the city Zyz, after a flower, dedicated to the beauty of this area surrounded by mountains and four rivers: Kemania, Oreto, Pannaria and Papireto. Later on, the Greeks tried several times to conquer the city, but all their attempts were thwarted. Finally, only the Romans succeeded to occupy Palermo, during the First Punic War in the 3rd century BC.

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Florence

Florence is the capital of the Italian region of Tuscany, a city of over 400 thousand inhabitants. This city is famous for its art, its priceless and unique art heritage, which includes cultural monuments of various styles, rich museums such as the Uffizi Gallery and the Pitti Palace, as well as magnificent villas, most of which used to belong to the famous Florence Medici family.

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Bari

Bari is the capital of the Italian region of Puglia, in southern Italy. The city is facing the Adriatic Sea. After Naples, Bari is the most important economic center in southern Italy. Bari is a port city and an important university center. Bari is the city of Saint Nicholas, with a population of about 350,000 people. It is made up of four urban parts of the city, each of which is special in its own way - the old town (citta vechia di Bari), two modern ports on the peninsula, the southern district of Murat and the commercial district with a promenade by the sea.

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