The Italian city ofMilan is one of the internationaltourism destinations, appearing among the forty most visited cities in the world, ranking second in Italy afterRome, fifth inEurope and sixteenth in the world.[3][4] One source has 56% of international visitors to Milan are from Europe, 44% of the city's tourists are Italian, and 56% are from abroad.[2] The most important European Union markets are the United Kingdom (16%), Germany (9%) and France (6%).[2] Most of the visitors who come from the United States to the city go on business matters, whileChinese andJapanese tourists mainly take up theleisure segment.[2]
Milan is one of the internationaltourism destinations, appearing among the forty most visited cities in the world, ranking second in Italy afterRome, fifth inEurope and sixteenth in the world.[3][4] One source has 56% of international visitors to Milan are from Europe, 44% of the city's tourists are Italian, and 56% are from abroad.[2] The most important European Union markets are the United Kingdom (16%), Germany (9%) and France (6%).[2]
Most of the visitors who come from the United States to the city go on business matters, whileChinese andJapanese tourists mainly take up theleisure segment.[2] Results from the same study also say that 60% of tourists who visit Milan are male, while 40% are female.[2] Over 58% of visitors travel by air,[2] and 26% by car.[2]
Visitors to Milan appreciate it for different reasons; for example, 65% of visitors say that public transport is efficient, while 35% say that it is expensive and inadequate.[2] Usually, tourists find that Milan has good entertainment and cultural opportunities (i.e. shopping, cuisine, music, nightlife and the arts) and that leisure activities are organized well and to a professional level.[2]
Overall, the average tourist visiting Milan is satisfied by the city; over 63% say it was as they expected, 80% would want to return and 74% would advise a friend to go.[2] They also find that taxis are efficient and easy to find and that communication (i.e. advertising events and attractions) is good.[2] However, many say that there is not enough green space, that the city is very expensive and that the average level of English, as of 2009, is not very high.[2]
The number of international tourists has been steadily increasing, and as of 2015 there were around 3.21 million international arrivals.[8]
From the 12th century until the 16th century, Milan was one of the largest European cities and a major trade and commercial centre; consequently, it became the capital of theDuchy of Milan, one of the greatest political, artistic and fashion forces in theRenaissance.[12][13] Having become one of the main centres of theItalian Enlightenment during theearly modern period, the city subsequently became the industrial and financial capital of modern Italy.[14][15] Capital of theNapoleonic Kingdom of Italy, after theRestoration it was among the most active centres of theRisorgimento, until its entry into the unifiedKingdom of Italy.
With the unification of the country, Milan became the dominant commercial center of northern Italy. In 1919Benito Mussolini rallied theBlackshirts for the first time in Milan, and later they began theirMarch on Rome from Milan. DuringWorld War II Milan was extensively damaged by Allied bombings. Upon the surrender of Italy in 1943 German forces occupied northern Italy until the end of the war in 1945. Members of the Italian resistance in Milan took control of the city andexecuted Mussolini, his mistress, and other leaders of his Fascist government by hanging in Piazzale Loreto, Milan.
Since the end ofWorld War II, Italy experienced aneconomic boom. From 1951 until 1967 the population of Milan grew from 1.3 million to 1.7 million. The city was reconstructed, but in the late 1960s and early 1970s, the city suffered from a huge wave of street violence, labor strikes and political terrorism during so calledYears of Lead. During the 1980s, Milan became one of the world'sfashion capitals. The rise offinancial services and theservice economy during the late 20th century further strengthened Milan’s position as the Italian economic capital. The city’s renewal in the 21st century was marked, among others, by hosting of theWorld Expo 2015 or big redevelopment projects such asPorta Nuova district orCityLife district.
Thearchitectural and artistic presence in Milan represents one of the attractions of the Lombard capital. Milan has been among the most important Italian centres in thehistory of architecture, has made important contributions to the development of art history, and has been the cradle of a number ofmodern art movements.
Milan has a plethora of museums, ranging from science and industry to antiquities and art. Below is a list of the main museums and permanent exhibitions in the city.
Mudec, "the museum of cultures", a space hosting a permanent exhibition of artefacts from different cultures and many temporary exhibitions, such as one onRoy Lichtenstein during the summer of 2019[19]
Planetario di Milano, inaugurated in 1930, continues to be Italy's largestplanetarium as well as one of the most prominent inEurope and the rest of the world.
Gallerie d'Italia - Piazza Scala hosts a paintings and sculpture collection of 19th and 20th century belonging toIntesa Sanpaolo international banking group. Alongside hosts temporary exhibitions.
Triennale di Milano. International cultural institution established in 1923, host exhibitions meetings and conferences. It showcases a permantent collection ofItalian design and hosts the Triennale Teatro dell' Arte.
Museo Teatrale alla Scala. Founded in 1913, reopened in 2004 after restoration works. Showing a collection of artifacts, paintings and instruments related to theTeatro alla Scala opera house history.
Museo Alfa Romeo isAlfa Romeo's official museum, located inArese (Milan), and displaying a permanent collection of Alfa Romeo cars and engines. After being closed down in 2011, the museum reopened in June 2015.[20]
Armani/Silos is afashionart museum inMilan, Italy dedicated to theArmani style founded by Giorgio Armani.[21] The opening exhibition was divided into themes: Ground floor ("Heimat: A Sense of Belonging", the dedicated toPeter Lindbergh (until August 2021)[22]); First floor (Androgynous); Second floor (Ethnicities); Third floor (Stars / Digital Archive).
TheBiblioteca Ambrosiana is a historiclibrary inMilan. Named afterAmbrose, the patron saint of Milan, it was founded in 1609 by CardinalFederico Borromeo, whose agents scoured Western Europe and evenGreece andSyria for books and manuscripts. Some major acquisitions of complete libraries were the manuscripts of the Benedictinemonastery of Bobbio (1606) and the library of the PaduanVincenzo Pinelli, whose more than 800 manuscripts filled 70 cases when they were sent to Milan and included the famousIliad, theIlias Picta.
The Biblioteca Nazionale Braidense or Braidense National Library, usually known as theBiblioteca di Brera, is apublic library inMilan. It is one of the largest libraries in Italy. Initially it contained large historical and scientific collections before it was charged with thelegal deposit of all publications from Milan. Since 1880, it has had the status of anational library and is today one of the 47 Italian State libraries.[23]
Parco Sempione ("Simplon Park") is a large city park in the historic center ofMilan. Established in 1888, and designed by Emilio Alemagna, it has an overall area of 38.6 hectares (95 acres), and it is located inside theZone 1 administrative division. The vaguely polygonal park is anchored to the southeast by grounds of theSforza Castle and a linear axis leads in the northwest to theArch of Peace. The perpendicular axis to these two landmarks is flanked on the northeast by the ovalArena Civica and in the southwest by thePalazzo dell'Arte ("Palace of Art"), built in 1933 to house theFifth Triennale di Milano art and design exposition, and now a permanent museum, theater, and exhibition hall. Contemporary and near the Palazzo dell'Arte is the steel tower-spireTorre Branca, designed in 1933 by Gio Ponti asTower Littoria (Lictor's Tower). Near the Arena, stands thepublic aquarium.
Giardini Pubblici Indro Montanelli ("Indro Montanelli Public Gardens"), formerly known as Giardini Pubblici and Giardini di Porta Venezia (and renamed after journalist and writerIndro Montanelli in 2002) are a major and historiccity park inMilan, located in thePorta Venezia district, north-east of the city center, in theZone 1 administrative division. Established in 1784, they are the oldest city park in Milan. After their establishment, the Gardens have been repeatedly enlarged (to the current overall area of 172,000 square metres (43 acres) and enriched with notable buildings, most notably theNatural History Museum (1888–1893) and thePlanetarium (1930).
Parco Papa Giovanni Paolo II ("Pope John Paul II Park"),[24] best known by its historic nameParco delle Basiliche ("Basilicas Park")[25] is a city park ofMilan, located inZone 1. It owes its name to the fact that it connects two majorbasilicas, theBasilica of San Lorenzo and theBasilica of Sant'Eustorgio. The park has an overall area of 40.700 m2, bisected by Via Molino delle Armi, one of the avenues comprising theCerchia dei Navigliring road (this was originally intended to be adapted into an underpass, but the plan was never implemented).[24]
TheOrto Botanico di Brera (5,000 m2) is abotanical garden located behindPalazzo Brera at Via Brera 28 in the center ofMilan, and operated by the Istituto di Fisica Generale Applicata of theUniversity of Milan. It is open weekdays without charge. The garden was established in 1774 by AbbotFulgenzio Vitman under the direction of the EmpressMaria Theresa of Austria, transforming an existingJesuit garden to serve students of medicine and pharmacology. The garden was restored in 1998 after a long period of neglect and decay. Today the garden consists primarily of rectangular flower-beds, trimmed in brick, with elliptical ponds from the 18th century, and specula andgreenhouse from the 19th century (now used by the Academy of Fine Arts). It contains one of the oldestGinkgo biloba trees in Europe, as well as mature specimens ofFirmiana platanifolia,Juglans nigra,Pterocarya fraxinifolia, andTilia.
TheOrto Botanico di Cascina Rosa (about 22,000 m2) is abotanical garden maintained by theUniversity of Milan, and located at the end of Via Camillo Golgi 18,Milan. For opening days and times we recommend consulting the official website. The garden was established on disused farmland in 2002 for research and education. Its primary research facilities are threegreenhouses that include a total of 10 separate compartments that support modern technology includingcryopreservation, molecular testing, etc. Current research includes genetic improvement ofrice, and exploration of useful genes inArabidopsis thaliana. The garden's grounds contain many labeled plants, lawns, a lake, and about 1 km of walking paths.
Monte Stella ("Starmount"), also informally called Montagnetta di San Siro ("Little mountain of San Siro") is an artificial hill and surrounding city park inMilan. The park, established in the 1950s, has an overall area of 370,000 m². The hill was created using the debris from the buildings that were bombed duringWorld War II, as well as from the last remnants of theSpanish walls of the city, demolished in the mid 20th century. The hill is 45 m high; according to the original design, it should have been twice as high, but it was later redesigned to avoid damaging buildings in the nearby street Via Isernia as a consequence of side pressure. Even at only 25 m height, the hill provides a panoramic view of the city and hinterland, and in a clear day, theAlps andApennines can be distinguished from atop. A notable area of the park is called "Giardino dei Giusti" (Garden of the Just), which is a memorial to distinguished opponents of genocide and crimes against humanity; each tree in the garden is dedicated to one such person. Notable people who have been dedicated a tree in the Giardino dei Giusti includeMoshe Bejski,Andrej Sakharov,Svetlana Broz, andPietro Kuciukian.
Like most cities in Italy, Milan has developed its own local culinary tradition, which, as it is typical for North Italian cuisines, uses more frequentlyrice thanpasta,butter thanvegetable oil and features almost notomato orfish. Milanese traditional dishes includescotoletta alla milanese, a breaded veal (pork and turkey can be used) cutlet pan-fried in butter (similar to VienneseWiener Schnitzel).
Season-related pastries includechiacchiere (flat fritters dusted with sugar) andtortelli (fried spherical cookies) forCarnival,colomba (glazed cake shaped as a dove) forEaster,pane dei morti ("bread of the (Day of the) Dead", cookies flavoured withcinnamon) forAll Souls' Day andpanettone for Christmas. Thesalame Milano, asalami with a very fine grain, is widespread throughout Italy. Renowned Milanese cheeses aregorgonzola (from thenamesake village nearby),mascarpone, used in pastry-making,taleggio and quartirolo. Milan is home to the oldest restaurant in Italy and the second in Europe, theAntica trattoria Bagutto, which has existed since at least 1284.[26]
Fiera Milano is atrade fair andexhibition organiser headquartered inMilan. The firm is the most important trade fair organiser in Italy and the world's fourth largest.[28] The company started operation on 1 October 2000 and has been listed onBorsa Italiana (STAR segment) since 12 December 2002. Fiera Milano mainly operates in the fields of management and organisation of exhibitions, trade fairs and conferences. It hosts about seventy shows (of which about one-third are directly organized) and 30,000 exhibitors every year.[31]
Milan Fashion Week is a clothingtrade show held semi-annually inMilan,Italy. Upcoming autumn/winter fashions are showcased in February/March of each year, and upcoming spring/summer fashions are showcased in September/October of each year. Many designers showcase new designs and upcoming collections. It is one of the most important worldwide.[29] Milan Fashion Week, established in 1958, is part of the global "Big Fourfashion weeks", the others beingParis Fashion Week,London Fashion Week, andNew York Fashion Week.[32][33] The schedule begins with New York, followed by London, and then Milan, and ending with Paris. Since the year 1958, Milan Fashion Week has been taking place semi-annually with a women's and a men’s fashion week.[34]
Milan Furniture Fair is afurniture fair held annually inMilan. It is the largesttrade fair of its kind in the world.[30] The exhibition showcases the latest in furniture and design from countries around the world. It is considered a leading venue for the display of new products bydesigners of furniture, lighting and other home furnishings. The show, also known as "Salone", "Milano Salone" and "Milan Design Week", is held every year, usually in April, in theFieraMilano complex in theMilan metropolitan area town ofRho.[35] Besides the Salone, in April every odd year Euroluce exhibition takes place and every even year EuroCucina and the International Bathroom Exhibition are held along the Milan Furniture Fair.[36]
EICMA, or the "Milan Motorcycle Shows" is an annualtrade show inMilan, Italy featuringmotorcycles. The 2018 show drew over half a million visitors and more than 1,200 exhibiting brands.[37] The show is frequently used by manufacturers to debut new models. Organised by EICMA, editions take place every year in Milan, Italy and last for six days in total. Fiera Milano Rho admits trade visitors for the first two days and then is open for the general public on the latter four days. Opening hours for trade visitors are from 08:30 on the first day and 09:00 on the second until 18:30 for both days. For the general public, opening hours start from 09:30 for all days until 18:30. The only exception is the fourth day, when closing time is at 22:00.[38]
Milan Triennial is an art and design exhibition that takes place every three years at theTriennale di Milano Museum inMilan, Italy. The exhibition was originally established in 1923 as a biennial architecture and industrial design event. The first five editions took place inMonza. In 1933 the exhibition was relocated to Milan and the format was changed to a triennial basis. The designated venue was the new Palazzo dell’Arte designed by architectGiovanni Muzio, featuringGio Ponti'sTorre Branca.[39] The Triennial was recognised by theBureau of International Expositions (BIE) in 1933.[40]
Oh bej! Oh bej! (pronounced[uˈbɛjuˈbɛj]or[ɔˈbɛjɔˈbɛj]; inMilanese: "oh so nice! oh so nice!")[41] is the most important and traditionalChristmasfair inMilan,Italy. It is held from 7 December (day of thepatron saint ofMilan,Ambrose) until the following Sunday. The fair is also informally known as theFiera di Sant'Ambrogio ("Saint Ambrose Fair"). The Oh bej! Oh bej! fair has been held in different areas of Milan; until 1886, it was located inPiazza Mercanti (in the surroundings of theDuomo); from 1886 to 2006, it was held by theBasilica di Sant'Ambrogio; in 2006, it was relocated again, to the area of theSforza Castle. The most typical goods that are sold at Oh bej! Oh bej! are sweets and Christmas or winter delicacies, handcrafts such as Christmas decorations, toys, antiques, souvenirs, bric-a-brac, and more.[42] The fair is usually very crowded; this is partly because, as Saint Ambrose Day is immediately followed by theImmaculate Conception Day (an Italian national holiday), and this in turn might be followed by a week-end, Milanese usually have several free days in the fair's days.
The city also has numerous hotels, including luxurious such asPrincipe di Savoia,Grand Hotel et de Milan and the 7 starTown House Galleria. The average stay for a tourist in the city is of 3.43 nights, while foreigners stay for longer periods of time, 77% of which stay for a 2-5 night average.[2] Of the 75% of visitors who stay in hotels, 4-star ones are the most popular (47%), while the ones which have 5-stars, or less than 3-stars represent 11% and 15% of the charts respectively. Visitors to the city, by average, find that accommodation is good, high-quality and that service is professional, however that it is also very expensive.
In addition to a unique cuisine, Milan is well known for its world-classrestaurants andcafés, characterised by innovative cuisine and design.[43] As of 2014[update], Milan has 157 Michelin-selected places, including three 2-Michelin-starred restaurants;[44] these includeCracco, Sadler and il Luogo di Aimo e Nadia.[45] Many historical restaurants and bars are found in the historic centre, theBrera andNavigli districts. One of the city's oldest surviving cafés,Caffè Cova, was established in 1817.[46] Caffè Cova has also opened franchises inHong Kong.[47] In total, Milan has 15 cafés, bars and restaurants registered among the Historical Places of Italy, continuously operating for at least 70 years.[48]
Most of the more refined and upper-class restaurants are found in the historic centre, while the more traditional and popular ones are mainly located in the Brera and Navigli districts. Today, there is also aNobu Japanese restaurant in Milan, which is located in Armani World inVia Manzoni and is regarded as being one of the trendiest restaurants in the city.[49]
The Biffi Caffè and the Zucca in Galleria are also famous and historical ‘Caffès’ which are situated in Milan. Other restaurants in Milan include the Hotel Four Seasons restaurant, ‘La Briciola’, the Marino alla Scala and the Chandelier. Today, there are some new boutique-cafés, such as theJust Cavalli Café, owned by the luxury fashion goods brandRoberto Cavalli and theArmani Café in via Manzoni, owned by the homonymous fashion entrepreneurGiorgio Armani.
Like other Italian and world cities, Milan charges ahotel tax. It ranges from €2 to €5 per person, per night, based on the hotel or other type of accommodation used.[50]
TheMilan Metro is therapid transit system serving the city and surrounding municipalities. The network consists of 5 lines (M1,M2,M3,M4 andM5), with a total network length of 104 kilometres (65 mi), and a total of121 stations, mostly underground.[56] It has a daily ridership of 1.15 million,[57] the largest in Italy as well as one of the largest in Europe.
As of May 2023[update], theMilan suburban railway service, operated byTrenord, comprises 11S lines connecting the metropolitan area with the city centre, with possible transfers to all the metro lines. Most S lines run through theMilan Passerby railway, commonly referred to as "il Passante" and served by double-decker trains every 4/8 minutes in the central underground section.[58]
Milan Central station, with 110 million passengers per year, is the largest andeighth busiest railway station in Europe and the second busiest in Italy afterRoma Termini.[6] Milano Centrale railway station is the largest railway station in Europe by volume.[59]Milano Cadorna andMilano Porta Garibaldi stations are respectively the seventh and the eleventh busiest stations in Italy.[6] Since the end of 2009, twohigh-speed train lines link Milan to Rome,Naples andTurin, considerably shortening travel times with other major cities in Italy. Further high-speed lines are under construction towards Genoa and Verona. Milan is served by direct international trains to Nice, Marseille, Lyon, Paris, Lugano, Geneva, Bern, Basel, Zurich and Frankfurt, and by overnight sleeper services to Munich and Vienna (ÖBB).[60] Overnight services to Paris were suspended in 2020 following the COVID lockdown and subsequently discontinued.[61][62]
Milan is also the core ofLombardy's regional train network. Regional trains were operated on two different systems byLeNord (departing from Milano Cadorna) andTrenitalia (departing from Milan Centrale and Milano Porta Garibaldi). Since 2011, a new company,Trenord, has operated both Trenitalia and LeNord regional trains inLombardy, carrying over 750,000 passengers on more than 50 routes every day.[63][64]
Thecity tram network consists of approximately 160 kilometres (99 mi) of track and 18 lines, and is Europe's most advanced light rail system.[66] Bus lines cover over 1,070 km (665 mi). Milan has alsotaxi services operated by private companies and licensed by the City Council of Milan. The city is also a key node for the national road network, being served by all the major highways of Northern Italy. Numerous long-distance bus lines link Milan with many other cities and towns in Lombardy and throughout Italy.[67]
In the surroundings of Milan there are three airports dedicated to normal civilian traffic (Milan Malpensa Airport and Milan Linate Airport, managed by SEA, and Milan Bergamo Airport by SACBO).
Overall, the Milan airport system handles traffic of over 51.4 million passengers and around 700,000 tons of goods every year and is the first in Italy in terms of passenger volume and cargo volume (the second Italian airport system is Rome with 44.4 million passengers in 2023).[68] The Milan Malpensa airport, with over 700 thousand tons, confirms the national leadership, processing 70% of the country's air cargo.[69]
Milan Linate Airport (LIN) is Milan's city airport, less than 8 kilometres (5.0 mi) from central Milan, and is mainly used for domestic and short-haul international flights. It served 8.6 million passengers in 2023 ranking as the 8th airport in Italy for passenger traffic.[75] Linate Airport is hub ofITA Airways together with Rome Fiumicino Airport and is connected the centre of Milan via theM4 blue metro line.
Lastly,Bresso Airfield is ageneral aviation airport, operated by Aero Club Milano.[80] Since 1960 the airport mostly serves as a general aviation airfield for flying club activity, touristic flights and air taxi.[81] It also hosts a base of the state helicopter emergency serviceElisoccorso.[82]
The bicycle is becoming an increasingly important mode of transportation in Milan. Since 2008, the implementation of a city-wide network of bike paths has been initiated, to fight congestion and air pollution. During the COVID pandemic in 2019, 35 km of bike lanes were realized on short notice, to relieve pressure on the subway occupation.[83]
Thebike sharing systemBikeMi has been deployed in almost all the city and enjoys increasing popularity. Stationless commercial bike and scooter sharing systems are widely available.
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