Reasons to Love Milan
Fashion, art, design, and cuisine – all under one roof. This is no crème de la crème member’s club reference. We’re talking the Italian mega city that has maintained its reputation of providing all of the above throughout the centuries. Milan – though in second place after more populous Italian capital Rome, its global influence on contemporary culture remains unmatched.
If the city of Rome is a celebration of the old, Milan is synonymous with the new. Locals will agree the 2015 World Expo – a large international exhibition designed to showcase achievements of different nations – cemented Milan’s reputation as Rome’s more progressive sister. And there’s the architecture to prove it. The period surrounding the 2015 event which took place at the design capital’s Rho Fiera grounds gave birth to several man-made structures that have since become symbolic of the city home to over a million inhabitants. Exhibit A: the Bosco Verticale (Vertical Forest), designed by the Stefano Boeri Architetti studio, situated in the city’s Isola district. Even if there’s no place like Milan’s famed Duomo cathedral, the Bosco Verticale towers come pretty close in terms of presence and stunning architecture. The two buildings (110 meters and 76 meters respectively), are wrapped in an excess of trees, plants, and flowers, visible from the structures’ outside. A fresh take on sustainable design, inclusive of renewable energy from solar panels and filtered waste water that sustains the buildings’ plant life.
But Milan wouldn’t be the city as we know it, if it weren’t for putting the capital “F” in fashion. Ever since the city reached the upper echelons of the global fashion industry in the Eighties – highlighted by the success of Giorgio Armani, Roberto Cavalli, Gianni Versace, and Dolce & Gabbana, who have Milan to thank for their international breaks – the 20100 zip code area has continuously set the pace. For shopping, there’s 10 Corso Como located on its namesake street, dubbed world’s first concept store. The multistory venue houses a restaurant, bookstore, shopping areas, three-bedroom hotel, plus an art gallery named after founder Carla Sozzani. For those into a more classic approach to fashion, there’s the city’s Monte Napoleone street, which houses everything from major luxury brands to local tailoring, and Prada-owned pastry shop Marchesi. Speaking of edibles, don’t miss dinner at Da Giacomo.
See you there.
-Declan Eytan
Olgysha / shutterstock.com
izenzfreie Stockfotonummer: 166395791
MILAN – JUNE 24: Tourists visit Piazza Duomo on june 24, 2012 in Milan, Italy. Duomo Square is a central square of Milan. The area unites many monuments of architecture. – Bilder
Stockfotonummer: 693490426
Milan, Italy – July 16, 2016: Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II is one of the most popular shopping areas in Milan. – Bilder
Paolo Bona / shutterstock.comL
izenzfreie Stockfotonummer: 177735158
MILAN, ITALY-FEBRUARY 26, 2010: Models on runway catwalk during the spring-summer fashion collection of italian stylist Alberta Ferretti. – Bilder
