An intersection of fashion and finance, Milan is a city whose residents are ready to proclaim their pride in the sophisticated metropolis they call home. Italy's moral capital is the antithesis of the chaotic south. Citizens speak in a refined dialect, the government officials actually work, and even the scooters stop for red lights. Although the cost of living is high and traffic can be a nightmare, the spires of the city's intricately carved Duomo, the echoing notes of the renowned La Scala theater, and the gleaming boutiques of the Fashion District, where casually parallel parking a cherry-red Ferrari is no big deal, help prove the Milanese's point: this is a truly cultured town. But in addition to its role as a national and global trendsetter, Milan plays an essential part in the Italian economy, home as it is to rubber giant Pirelli and scores of banks, hedge funds, and other GDP-boosting institutions that remain mysterious to the layperson. While the city's dark-suited bankers walk its streets with a clear purpose, meandering tourists can find many artistic treasures that remain less known. Leonardo's Last Supper, one of the world's best-known paintings, is here, as are the collections at the Pinoteca di Brera and Pinoteca Ambrosiana, both filled with priceless Italian art dating from the Renaissance to the 20th century. Today, however, the city's most famous export may be its championship soccer teams, Inter and AC Milan. When they face off twice annually, the entire city comes to a halt as all eyes follow the match. Hearts pound with every pass and goal, and screams erupt at the sight of each yellow card. The city has everything that's to be expected from a world-class metropolis—wealth, culture, sport, and more—all carried off with that cosmopolitan, stylish élan of which the Vespa-driving, street-smart Milanese are so proud.
Malpensa Airport (MXP), 48km northwest of the city (☎ 02 23 23 23; www.sea-aeroportimilano.it), Shuttles run to the right side of Stazione Centrale (}02 58 58 31 85 w www.malpensashuttle ...more
On a map, Milan's city center resembles the web made by a rather loopy spider—it's a series of concentric circles connected to one another by an erratic array of thin roadways and broad boulevards whose ...more
The layout of Milan’s streets makes it difficult to navigate by car. Pick up a map with a street index at the tourist office or any bookstore, or a public transit map at the ATM Point (☎ 800 ...more
>TOURIST OFFICES:Informazioni Accoglienza Turistica is Milan's central tourist office. It publishes Hello Milano, which offers information in English on events and nightlife, and the monthly Milanomese ...more
>As you would expect in any large city, Milan's accommodations run the gamut, though the publicly posted star rating can give you a pretty good indication of what to expect from an establishment. One star ...more
There's much to be had from Milan's culinary scene, from slices of pizza enjoyed while sitting on the sidewalk to fine dining in the city's venerable sit-down, button-up establishments. Starting the night ...more
Is this a city without a history? An Italian city without a history, at that? Of course not, though compared to Rome, Venice, and Florence, Milan can sometimes seem rather without roots. With a city center ...more
If there's anything all of Milan's residents can agree on, it's that they're cultured. Whether this equates to an appreciation for the sculpted spires of the Duomo, the delicate colors of Renaissance paintings ...more
If any city can claim its designer fashions are worth their astronomical pricetags, it's Milan. That's because clothes really do make the man (or woman) in this world center of fashion. Particularly after ...more
In terms of sheer variety, very few places on earth can rival Milan when it comes to nightlife—and there are plenty of locals eager to rave about their city's vibrant after-hours scene. Corso Como is ...more
Rival to Venice’s famed festivities, Milan’s increasingly popular Carnevale is Italy’s oldest. The masked mystique and medieval revelry radiates from the duomo and spreads through the city annually ...more
A trip to Bergamo (BEHR-ga-mo; pop. 115,000) is a visit to two different worlds. The città bassa (low city) is a modern commercial town. On the bluff above, however, lies the historical città alta (high ...more
GLBT acceptance is a bit complicated in Italy. The area that was once home to many a boy-loving emperor is now home to a conservative Pope, a more conservative Prime Minister, and a 97% Catholic population ...more
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For 52 years, we have published the world’s favorite budget travel guides, written entirely by students and updated every year. With pen and notebook in hand and a few changes of underwear stuffed in our backpacks, we spend months roaming the globe in search of travel bargains.
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