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Milan (Italian: Milano; Lombard: Milán (listen)) is one of the biggest cities in Italy, located in the plains of Lombardy. The city proper (Comune di Milano) has about 1,308,500 inhabitants (2004). The population of the urban area (Greater Milan La Grande Milano), comprising the core of Lombardy, is estimated, as of 2006, to be about 4,280,820 people. Finally, the official population of Milan Metro Area counts around 7,400,000 residents (2006). Milan has become one of the most highly developed urban centers in Europe. By population, Milan is Italy's 2nd largest city and the 3rd Metro Area of the EU. Municipal borders wrap a relatively small area—about one-eighth that of Rome—because of the historical high density of population centers in agriculturally rich Lombardy. The heavily urbanized area centered in Milan includes some Swiss territories in southern Canton Ticino: this does not imply any kind of administrative unity, though. Milan is an alpha world full service city in GaWc inventory.
Inhabitants of Milan are referred to as "Milanese" (Italian: Milanesi or informally Meneghini or Ambrosiani).
NameMilan's name is believed by some to derive from the Celtic Medelhan[citation needed], meaning "in the middle of the plain", due either to its location in a plain close to the confluence of two small rivers, the Olona and the Seveso, or perhaps to its being close to, and roughly equidistant from, two major rivers, the Ticino and the Adda. The Romans transcribed the name as Mediolanum, which in Latin could also be interpreted as meaning "wool in the middle". Thus arose the legend, built on Celtic lore about the boar as a mythical animal: according to a prophecy the site for the settlement would have been indicated to a Celtic king by the appearance of a wild pig or boar with a ridge of hair along its back, as reported by Cardano around 1626:
Translated:
The German name for the city is Mailand, while in the local Western Lombard dialect, the city's name is Milán, pronounced quite as in French. History
Image:Milano galleria piazza duomo.jpg Piazza del Duomo - Milan's central square Image:Milano Torta di Spus 1.jpg Castello Sforzesco - Sforza's castle. Image:Milano scala 2005.jpg Teatro alla Scala, major opera house. Image:View of Milano from the Duomo.jpg View of Milan from the Duomo. Image:Milano-naviglio grande.jpg Naviglio Grande. Image:Turati2331.jpg Building in Via Turati. Image:Centrale546.jpg Milan's Central Station. It is presumed Milan was originally founded by the Celts of Northern Italy around 600 BC and was conquered around 222 BC by the Romans, who gave it the name of Mediolanum. In the 4th century, at the time of the bishop Saint Ambrose and Emperor Theodosius I, the city was briefly the capital of the Western Roman Empire. At that time Milan was the second largest city in Europe, with more than 300,000 inhabitants. St Ambrose is now the patron saint of the city.[1] With the Visigothic menace mounting, Milan lost its capital role to Ravenna in 402. Attila plundered the city in 452 during his invasion of Italy, then the Ostrogoths of Uraia ravaged it in 541, during the disastrous Greco-Gothic war. The ghost of a city was then taken by the Lombards in 569; the main Byzantine officials, both civilian and religious, fled to Genoa for safety. The Lombards made Milan capital of one of their main duchies, and the city slowly but surely recovered a role, if overshadowed by neighbouring Pavia and Monza. From the Pataria to the SforzasIn the eleventh century the city regained its importance and began to impose its power. Milan became a prosperous, if seldom quiet, comune. The eleventh century saw the birth and growth of several papal and church reform movements, such as the Peace and Truce of God and the Gregorian reforms. Milan itself, the powerful but corrupt church was put under siege by the reformers of the so-called pataria, a local movement led by both religious and secular figures. In the latter half of the century, Milan and its province suffered ecclesiastical schism and confusion as well as violence and war as the patarini struggled to reform the clergy. With peace and order attained in the early 1090s, Milan entered the wider struggle between the power of the popes and the emperors. In the twelfth century, she led the other Italian cities in gaining semi-independence from the Holy Roman Empire in the wars of the Lombard League against Frederick Barbarossa, culminating in the glorious Battle of Legnano (1176). Thus, during the Middle Ages, Milan became one of the most rich and powerful cities of Europe (due to its commerce and industries), conquering and influencing at times great parts of northern Italy. At the beginning of the 11th century, Milan experienced several civil outbreaks. The main conflicts were between the Nobles and the commoners, who found religious expression in the Pataria movement. Therefore, a tripartite polity was formed, creating a compromise between the great nobles, lesser nobles, and plebeians, led by a podestà. There was also fighting between the Guelphs and Ghibellines, who supported the pope and emperor respectively. The ruling family of Milan, the Viscontis, supported the Ghibellines, and the emperor acknowledged Ottone Visconti as the Archbishop. The Visconti House went on to peacefully conquer Pavia, Piacenza, Bergamo, Brescia, and Parma. In 1354, power fell into the hands of brothers Galeazzo and Bernabò Visconti. Originally they split the city in two to share the power, but rejoined it in 1359 to defeat Pavia. Pavia then became Galeazzo's city, where be built a university. When he died in 1387, he left his land to his son, Gian Galeazzo Visconti. However, Galeazzo's brother Bernabo was a different child. He ruled under strict laws, was threatened with excommunication, and became greedy after his brother's death. In 1385, when he attempted to take all the land back under one rule, Gian Galeazzo imprisoned him. Gian Galeazzo went on to be a powerful ruler, who expanded his empire across northern Italy and even into Tuscany, gathering land as he went. The only northern city-states to avoid his conquest were Venice and Florence; near this last city he died from illness in 1402 while attempting to subdue it. Gian Galeazzo's sons, Giovanni Maria Visconti and Filippo Maria Visconti split up the land, which then either became independent or was conquered by Venice. Giovanni became duke, but in 1412 was assassinated amid political controversy. Filippo had no sons, and upon his death in 1417, the Visconti line ended, and a popular government was established. Filippo did have a daughter however, who married Francesco Sforza, a renowned condottiero. He later was hired to protect the city state with the creation of the popular government, but instead took over, creating the Sforza line. Francesco died in 1466, leaving the land to Galeazzo Maria Sforza. He was disliked because of his cruelty, and assassinated in 1476. His 7-year-old son, Gian Galeazzo Sforza, along with Galeazzo Maria's brother, Ludovico Sforza (Ludovico the Moor), becoming the de facto ruler of Milan. Ludovico was a learned man, adding much to universities and architecture, but when Gian Galeazzo married Princess Isabella of Naples, Ludovico's tolerance of Gian Galeazzo came to an end. Isabella disliked the amount of power Ludovico had, and turned to her family in Naples for help. In return, Ludovico turned to Charles VIII of France, who could claim Naples through the House of Anjou. Demographics, external rivalries and declineIt is estimated that at the start of 14th century the city may have reached the number of 200,000 inhabitants. During the Plague of 1349 Milan was one of the few places in Europe that was spared by the epidemic, but it was deeply affected by the plagues of 1402 (50,000 deaths), 1542 (80,000), 1576 (17,000) and 1629 (also known as Great Plague of Milan, 70,000 deaths). In the meantime its power was checked by Florence and Venice; thus last city conquered eastern Lombardy after the battle of Maclodio and kept it for centuries. During the Renaissance Milan was ruled by dukes of the Visconti (1272-1447) and later Sforza (1449-1499, 1512-1515, 1521-1535) families, who had great artists like Leonardo da Vinci and Bramante at their service. After trying to conquer the rest of northern Italy in the late 14th and 15th century, Milan was conquered by France, and then later on by emperor Charles V, who took it in 1535 as a dependency of his Spanish possessions. The Spanish domination (up to 1700) is remembered as an epoch of bad rule and decline, but this is debatable, since the economy still flourished and textile industry kept growing in the countryside around the city.[citation needed] 18th and 19th centuriesIn the 18th century Austria replaced Spain as Milan's overlord, because the Spanish line of Habsburgs had died out: the Austrians provided a sound administration who did much to help the city. But the French Revolution and the Napoleonic Wars saw the city annexed, and capital, into the French satellite state of the Cisalpine Republic, which later became the Kingdom of Italy. After this period, Milan was part of the Kingdom of Lombardy-Venetia under Austrian rule. By this time nationalism and liberalism were on the rise, and the Austrians were no more welcome. Milan eventually became one of the main centers of the Risorgimento, with notable moments as the Cinque Giornate, a victorious popular revolt against the Austrian garrison in 1848, whose success was soon rendered short-lived by Piedmont's defeat on the battlefields.[citation needed] In 1859 (after the second of the Wars of Italian Independence) Austrian rule was ended by the Kingdom of Sardinia (which transformed into the kingdom of Italy in 1861). The newly formed Savoy monarchy encouraged the use of the Neo-Renaissance style as a way to express patriotism, an excellent example of which is the Bagatti Valsecchi Museum in via Gesù, 5, [2]. The city began a steady growth in population and industrial output, soon gaining unrivalled leadership in Italy. World War IIAs a critical industrial center of Italy, Milan was the target of many heavy aerial bombings during World War II. The city was bombed even after Pietro Badoglio surrendered to the allied forces in 1943 - Milan was part of Mussolini's Italian Social Republic puppet state, and an important command centre of the German Army stationed in Italy. When war in Italy was finally over, April 25 1945, Milan had been heavily damaged and entire neighborhoods such as Precotto and Turro were destroyed. After the war, the city was reconstructed and again became an important financial and industrial centre of Italy. More than 30% of the buildings were completely destroyed and another 30% were so heavily damaged that they were demolished in the first years after the war. Most of those buildings are located in the city centre. Hundreds of buildings built in the last 1,000 years were lost.[citation needed] DemographyMilan's province (due to be dissolved sooner or later into the Metropolitan City, a new administrative unit not yet implemented) lies in the western part of Lombardy; it covers an area of 1,981 square kilometers and has a population of 3,839,216 (2005); in 1991, the population was 3,738,685. The province comprises 188 communes, ranging in population (2001) from Milan (1,308,311) to Nosate (638); between 1991 to 2001, the city of Milan has lost 113,084 inhabitants (8.3 percent) mostly due to suburban sprawl and expulsion of population from the inner city center, which is now almost fully dedicated to offices and commerce. In November 2006, the official population of Milan Metro Area, in an area of more than 9,000 square kilometers, was certificated for the first time, counting 7.4 million residents. Like many cities in northern Italy, the population is highly aged, similar to many of its northern neighbours. In 2005, 14.44 percent of the population is under 18, while those over 60 years of age constitute 29.94 percent. Despite this, the population of Milano grew 2.11 percent mostly from migrants from around the world as well as internal migrants from Italy. The city has seen a massive influx of foreigners over the last few decades. However, unlike other Italian cities, the majority of foreigners are from Asia, and Africa, instead of Eastern Europe. In total, they comprise 12.47 per cent of the city's population, the largest being Filipino (26,459), Egyptian (20,904), Peruvian (13,758), Chinese (12,960), and Ecuadorian (12,339). [3] ClimateMilan has a continental climate [4], with very little to share with central and southern Italy, which are famous for a comfortable Mediterranean climate. Milan winters are typically damp and chilly, while summers are hot and humid. Average temperatures are -2/+4°C in January and +17/+29°C in July. Snowfalls were once common between December and February, up to some 40 cm (15 in) per year; they're now increasingly rare. Humidity is quite high during the whole year and yearly rain averages 1000 mm (40 in). In the stereotypical image the city is often shrouded in fog, characteristic of the Po Basin, although the removal of rice fields from the southern neighbourhoods and the reduction of pollution levels have reduced the phenomenon in recent years. EconomyMilan is one of the major financial and business centres of the world. The city is the seat of the Italian Stock Exchange (la Borsa Italiana)"Piazza Affari" and its hinterland is an avant-garde industrial area. Fiera Milano, the city's Exhibition Center and Trade Fair complex, is notable. This new fairground, in the north-western suburb of Pero and Rho (opened in April 2005), is Europe's largest open construction project, making Fiera Milano the largest trade fair complex in the world. Milan is one of the world capital for fashion and the world leader for design. The town is also one of the richest cities in the European Union. Milan was included in a list of ten "Alpha world cities" by Peter J. Taylor and Robert E. Lang of the Brookings Institution in the economic report "U.S. Cities in the 'World City Network'" (Key Findings, Full ReportPDF)..; Famous firms in Milan
Culture and art
Milan is one of the major artistical centres of northern Italy. An incomplete list of landmarks include:
Milan is also one of the most important centres in the world for Opera lirica, with its famous Teatro alla Scala (La Scala). Cucina MilaneseAs most of the cities in Italy, Milan has its own typical food. This includes "Cotoletta alla Milanese", fried meat with bread powder, which some says it is of Austrian origins. Other typical dishes are Casoela, Polenta, Pizzoccheri, Ossobuco, Risotto alla Milanese. Season-related dishes are "Chiacchiere" for Carnival, "Tortelli fritti" for Easter and "Panettone" for Christmas. Milan has also a tradition of pastries. EducationUniversitiesMilan is home to many universities and other institutions of higher learning. This is a list of institutions of higher learning in Milan:
Infrastructure of transportationAirportsThe city has a large international airport known as Malpensa International Airport (MXP), located near the industrial towns of Busto Arsizio and Gallarate and connected to the downtown with the "Malpensa Express" railway service (from Cadorna Station). Malpensa was designed by the famous Ettore Sottsass. Milan also has the Linate Airport (LIN) within the city limits (for European and domestic traffic), connected with bus line 73 (from S. Babila). A third airport is Orio al Serio (BGY), close to the city of Bergamo. Vergiate, Venegono, Bresso, Voghera and Montichiari are further airports in the region. Subways, tramways, and busesMilan has 3 subway lines (M1 - red, M2 - green, M3 - yellow) and the system, called Milan Metro - "M", running for more than 80 km. There is also a light metro-service, "Metrò S. Raffaele", connecting the San Raffaele Hospital with Cascina Gobba station (M2). Extensions of lines 1, 2 and 3 are under construction, to create more than 15 km of track with 10 new stations. Line 5 is also under construction, to be finished in the first half of 2008. Lines 4 (linking downtown with Linate Airport) and 6 are in planning stages. Greater Milan also has one of the most extensive tramway systems in the world, with more than 286 km of track, and 20 lines. Ninety-three bus lines cover over 1,070 km between them. The local transportation authority (ATM) transported more than 600 million passengers in 2003 . RailwayImage:IMG 1489.JPG Inside Vittorio Emanuele II Gallery Image:Brera Astronomical Observatory.jpg Brera Astronomical Observatory Image:Milano-san lorenzo02.jpg San Lorenzo church Image:Repubblicamilano.jpg Garibaldi-Repubblica financial district Image:Milano brera cortile.jpg Brera Museum courtyard Image:San Siro3.JPG San Siro Stadium, one of Europe's biggest Image:Milano Liceo Beccaria.jpg Liceo Beccaria - Beccaria High School Image:Palazzo dell'Informazione a Milano.jpg Il Giorno newspaper headquarter Milan is the second railway hub of Italy, and the five major stations of Milan are among Italy's busiest. The first rail road built in Milan, the Milan and Monza Rail Road was opened for service on August 17th, 1840. Station in the city
Other new stations for passenger service are under construction:
High speed train lines are under construction all across Italy, and new lines will open from Milan to Rome and Naples, and from Milan to Torino. The stations for the TAV (Treni ad Alta Velocità - High Speed Trains) will be:
A line from Milan to Venice and then to Trieste is under construction. At the end of the work, the TAV station for Milan to the east will be:
Regional-Metropolitan Railway servicesThe Suburban Railway Service ( "S" Lines, a service similar to the French RER and German S-Bahn), composed of eight suburban lines and ten more scheduled for 2008, connects the "Greater Milan" to cities such as Como and Varese. The Regional Railway Service ("R"), instead, links Milan with the rest of Lombardy and the national railway system. The "Passante ferroviario" is an underground railway serving a couple of "S" lines and is very much like another subway line (and is even marked as such on subway maps), except that it is connected to LeNord and Trenitalia suburban networks. TaxisMilan has a taxi service operated by private companies and licensed by the City of Milan (Comune di Milano). All taxis are the same color, white. Prices are based on time elapsed and distance traveled. As the number of licences is kept low by lobbying of present taxi drivers, prices are fairly high (significantly higher than, for example, in New York) and finding a taxi may be difficult in rush hours. SportsFootball is the most important sport in Italy, and Milan is home to two world-famous football teams: A.C. Milan and Internazionale. The former is normally referred to as "Mìlan" (notice the stress on the first syllable, unlike the English and Milanese name of the city), the latter as "Inter". Milan is the only city in Europe whose teams have won both the European Cup and the Intercontinental Cup. Both teams play at Giuseppe Meazza - San Siro Stadium (85,700). Many of the strongest Italian football players were born in Milan, in the surrounding metropolitan area, or in Lombardy: Valentino Mazzola, Paolo Maldini, Giuseppe Meazza, Giacinto Facchetti, Luigi Riva, Gaetano Scirea, Giuseppe Bergomi, Walter Zenga, Antonio Cabrini, Roberto Donadoni, Gianluca Vialli, Silvio Piola, Giampiero Boniperti, Gabriele Oriali, Giovanni Trapattoni and Franco Baresi as well as many others.
Milan and Lombardy are candidates for the Summer Olympic Games of 2020 ("Milan-Lombardy 2020"). Stadia
There are other stadiums and multiuse palaces located in the metropolitan area, the biggest being Monza Brianteo Stadium (18,000 seats), the PalaDesio (10,000) and Geas Stadium (8,500).
Communication & mediaMilan is the base of operations for many local and nationwide communication services and businesses, such as newspapers, magazines, and TV and radio stations. Newspapers
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