World City Guide

Mini Guide of Milan

City Overview

Milan (Milano), situated on the flat plains of the Po Valley, is the capital of Lombardy and Italy’s richest and second largest city. Wealthy and cosmopolitan, the Milanesi enjoy a reputation as successful businesspeople, equally at home overseas and in Italy. Embracing tradition, sophistication and ambition in equal measure, they are just as likely to follow opera at La Scala as their shares on the city’s stock market or their chosen football team, AC or Inter Milan, at the San Siro Stadium.

Better known for being new and fashionable, Milan has never willingly thrown out the old. Three times in its history, the city had to rebuild after conquest by foreign invaders. Founded in the seventh century BC by Celts, the city, then known as Mediolanum (‘mid-plain’), was first sacked by the Goths in the 600s (AD), then by Barbarossa in 1157 and finally by the Allies in World War II, when over a quarter of the city was flattened. Milan had to make an art of recovery, successively reinventing herself under French, Spanish and then Austrian rulers from 1499 until the reunification of Italy in 1870. It is a miracle that so many historic treasures still exist, including Leonardo da Vinci’s Last Supper, which survived a direct hit in World War II. The Milanesi’s appreciation of tradition includes a singular respect for religion, to the extent that they even pay a special tax towards the Cathedral maintenance. It is therefore fitting that the city’s enduring symbol is the gilded statue of the Virgin, on top of the Cathedral (Il Duomo).

The city’s layout is best understood as a historic nucleus around the Cathedral, from which a star-shaped axis of arteries spreads through modern suburbs to the ring road. The modern civic centre lies to the northwest, around Mussolini’s central station, and is dominated by the Pirelli skyscraper, which dates from 1956 and is one of the first skyscrapers in Italy. The trade and fashion fairs take place in the Fiera district, west of the nucleus around the Porta Genova station. Milan’s economic success was founded at the end of the 19th century, when the metal factories and the rubber industries moved in, replacing agriculture and mercantile trading (primarily in silk) as the city’s main sources of income. Milan’s position at the heart of a network of canals, which provided the irrigation for the Lombard plains and the important trade links between the north and south, became less important as industry took over – and the waterways were filled in to make way for roads. A few canals remain in the Navigli district near the Bocconi University, a fashionable area in which to drink and listen to jazz and other live music, especially during the warm summers of Milan’s typically continental climate.

Since the 1970s, Milan has remained the capital of Italy’s automobile industry and its financial markets, but the limelight is dominated by the fashion houses, who, in turn, have drawn media and advertising agencies to the city. Milan remains the marketplace for Italian fashion – fashion aficionados, supermodels and international paparazzi descend upon the city twice a year for its spring and autumn fairs, while the world looks on. Valentino, Versace and Armani may design and manufacture their clothes elsewhere but Milan, which has carefully guarded its reputation for flair, drama and creativity, is Italy’s natural stage.

Getting There By Air

Milan Malpensa (MXP)
Tel: 02 7485 2200. Fax: 02 7485 4010.
Website: www.sea-aeroportimilano.it

Malpensa is located 48km (30 miles) northwest of Milan and is the city’s biggest airport, handling transcontinental and other international flights. Work to increase annual capacity to 30 million passengers ended when terminal one opened in 1998. In general, most European and all transcontinental flights arrive at Terminal One, while charters use Terminal Two.

Major airlines: Alitalia (tel: 02 7486 5194 or 5120 or 5190; website: www.alitalia.it), Italy’s national carrier, flies to 130 foreign and Italian cities from Malpensa (its most important hub after Rome). In addition, over 80 other airlines, including major European and US services, operate to Malpensa. Some confusion still exists after the government moved many airlines from Linate airport to Malpensa airport in 1999, so visitors should double check which airport they will be flying to at the time of booking. Other airlines currently using Milan Malpensa include Air France, British Airways, British Midlands, Continental, Delta, KLM, Lufthansa, SAS and United.

Airport facilities: Departure facilities include banks, bureaux de change, newsagents, coffee bars and restaurants. After check-in, there are electrical goods, clothes and fashion outlets, as well as the usual duty-free shops. Tourist information, a post office and car hire operators, including Avis, Europcar, Hertz and Maggiore are available upon arrival.

Business facilities: The dedicated business centre, run by Eurochange (tel: 02 5858 1074; fax: 02 5858 9119), offers business travellers workstations, fax, photocopier, personal computer and mobile phone hire. Conference rooms, with facilities for a maximum of 14 people, should be booked in advance.

Transport to the city: The hassle-free way to travel to the city centre is by rail. The new Malpensa Express (tel: 02 27763, recorded information in English and Italian or 8447 7500; website: www.ferrovienord.it ) runs to Stazione Cadorna just north of the historic centre. Trains depart every 30 minutes 0645-2145 (journey time – 40 minutes) and stop at Milano Bovisa Politecnico and Saronno Centro. Tickets cost 9 (free for Alitalia and KLM passengers) at the terminal but increase to 11.50 if bought on the train. Non-stop buses to Cadorna FN Station depart at 0600, 2245, 2315, 0015 and 0130. During major trade fairs, trains stop at Milano Bolona for the Fiera district. Alternatively, a shuttle connects terminals with the station at Gallarate, where there is a choice of trains to Stazione Centrale or Stazione Porta Garibaldi. Fares cost 1.30 from Terminal 1 and 1.05 from Terminal 2 but note that there are more departures to Porta Garibaldi. Going to Malpensa, it is best for travellers to get the metro to Cadorna – tickets are available from the Malpensa Express office at the train station.

Coach services, operated by Air Pullman (tel: 02 5858 3185, recorded information in English and Italian; website: www.airpullman.com ), depart for Stazione Centrale, Milan Fiera, Milan Lampugnano and Piazza Castello. The shuttle to and from Stazione Centrale is the most frequent, departing every 20 minutes 0520-2100 and then every half an hour until 0015 (journey time – 1 hour); tickets cost 4.50. The same company operates the coach shuttle linking Malpensa with Linate (journey time – 1 hour 15 minutes), which costs 8.00. There are 11 services daily.

Malpensa Taxis (tel: 02 4009 9029), based at the airport, offer considerably more expensive rides to the city centre. The average price to the centre is approximately 70.

A shuttle bus service links Malpensa and Linate every 90 minutes at a cost of 8.00. The trip takes about 75 minutes and buses operate between 0430 and 0025.

Milan Linate (LIN)
Tel: 02 7485 2200. Fax: 02 7485 2010.
Website: www.sea-aeroportimilano.it

Milan Linate is located 7km (4 miles) east of the centre and provides easy access to and from the city. Enlarged in 1993, Linate appeals to Italian and European business travellers eager to get into the city. Despite the transfer of many European airlines, including British Airways, to Malpensa airport in 1998, Linate continues to handle seven million passengers a year.

Major airlines: Alitalia (tel: 02 24991; website: www.alitalia.it ) links the city with the south of Italy, including Rome, Bari, Catania, Naples and Palermo. Air France, EasyJet, KLM, Meridiana, SAS and Virgin all provide regular services to major European cities.

Airport facilities: Tourist information, banking and exchange facilities are available during office hours and there is an on-site restaurant and snack bar. Hertz and Maggiore can provide car hire facilities.

Business facilities: The airport group SEA manage Linate and provide three Club Lounges (Piermarini, Piranesi and Bramante) located in the international and domestic departures as well as the arrivals hall. There is no dedicated business centre.

Transport to the city: A coach and local bus service operate from the airport to the city centre. The Starfly shuttle service run by STAM (tel: 02 717 106) departs every 20 minutes (0540-2135) for Stazione Centrale and takes 15-30 minutes depending on the traffic. Tickets cost 2.60 and can be bought on board. The cheaper alternative, the local or ATM (tel: 02 7252 4360; website: www.atm-mi.it) bus 73, runs to Piazza San Babila every 15 minutes (0535-0035). Tickets cost 1 and can be bought at the airport bar in the departures terminal.

Taxis (tel: 02 6767 or 8585) to the city centre cost about 18-25 and take up to 30 minutes, depending on traffic.

A shuttle bus service links Malpensa and Linate every 90 minutes at a cost of 8.00. The trip takes about 75 minutes and buses operate between 0430 and 0025.

Approximate flight times to Milan: From London is 2 hours; from New York is 8 hours 30 minutes; from Los Angeles is 11 hours and 30 minutes; from Toronto is 9 hours and 15 minutes and from Sydney is 23 hours and 30 minutes.

Arrival/departure tax: 10.50.

Orio al Serio (Milan-Bergamo, BGA)
Tel: (035) 326 323. Fax: (035) 326 339.
Website: www.orioaeroporto.it

Orio al Serio is located 48km (28 miles) northwest of Milan and 5km (3 miles) from Bergamo. This third airport is now Ryanair’s Southern Europe hub and is increasingly used by smaller budget and charter airlines flying to Milan. Oria al Serio is also used by airlines when Milan is fogbound; should this happen the airlines will provide buses to Milan.

Major airlines: Airlines using Orio al Serio include Air-Berlin, Air France, Air Italica, bmibaby, flybe.com, Lufthansa and Ryanair. A number of charter airlines also use this terminal.

Airport facilities: Departure facilities include a bank, chemist, post office and tourist information. After check-in, there is a duty-free shop and caf. Car hire from Avis, Hertz and Sixt is available on arrival.

Business facilities: Only a VIP lounge is currently available.

Transport to the city: Autostrade (tel: 02 637901; website: www.autostradale.com ) provide 25 buses daily between 0830 and 2230 to Milan Stazione Centrale at a cost of 6.70. The journey takes about an hour. ZANI (tel: (035) 678 611) provide 13 buses to Milan Lambrate, Piazza Bottini, at a cost of 6 between 0900-0000. ZANI also provide regular buses to Bergamo from 0620-0020 Monday to Saturday (36 buses), and 0730-2230 (18 buses) on Sunday; the cost is 1.05 (1.50 on the bus). Buses to Bergamo arrive at Station Autolinee, Piazzale G Marconi, just north of the train station. The bus service to Bergamo (tel: (035) 244 354) arrives at platform 12 and takes 10 minutes.

Regular train service from Bergamo to Milan Lambrate (50 minutes) and Porta Garibaldi (1 hour) is between 0515 and 2230; there is one train per hour, second class coaches only. Telephone train information is available on 0848 888 088.

Taxis take about 45 minutes from Milan city centre and will cost about 55. Taxis to Bergamo cost about 15.

Cars with driver are available from Airport Car Service (tel: (035) 452 2123 and Viaggiare (035) 322 565).

STAB offer one bus daily at 16.00 to Linate airport but it is far easier to go into Milan by bus and back out to Linate. Local taxi service (tel: (035) 451 9090) from the airport is the only way to get from Orio al Serio to Malpensa airport. Taxis cost about 150.

Getting There By Water

Getting There By Road

Italy has an excellent network of motorways (autostrade – designated A roads), the main north-south link being the Autostrada del Sole (or A1), which links Milan with Reggio Calabria, in the toe of Italy. Speed limits on motorways are 130kph (81mph) for cars of 1100cc or more, and 110kph (68mph) for smaller cars. All motorways are tolled – driving from Milan to Rome will cost approximately 27. The Information Centre in Rome provides advice on tolls and traffic (tel: (06) 4363 2121; website: www.autostrade.it). Those on a budget may prefer the strade statali (SS), which are often fast, have multi-lane carriageways and are toll free. The speed limit on these roads is 110kph (68mph) – too slow for the speed-obsessed Italians and therefore a more leisurely drive for the rest of the world.

By law, both driver and passenger must wear their seatbelts or face an on-the-spot fine of 31. Random breath tests can be imposed, and the penalties for drink driving are severe – the maximum legal alcohol to blood ratio is 0.08%. Speeding fines follow EU standards and are levied at between 31 and 351, depending on the speed. Driving through a red light incurs a fine of 61. The minimum age for driving is 18 years. All those without an EU licence must carry an International Driving Permit. EU nationals taking their own car will need an International Insurance Certificate, also known as a Green Card (Carta Verde).

Automobile Club Italiana (ACI) (tel: (06) 49981 or 4477, 24-hour information) can provide further information.

Emergency breakdown service: Automobile Club Italiana 116 or 803.

Routes to the city: Milan is a major crossroads for traffic heading north, south, east and west. The busiest roads are the A1 and A4. Italy’s central artery, the A1 (Autostrada del Sole) travels due south from Milan to Reggio Calabria via Bologna, Florence, Rome and Naples. The A4 (Turin-Milan-Bergamo-Brescia-Verona-Venice-Trieste) forms the ring road skirting the north of the city. Named Autostrada Serenissima after Venice’s nickname, this is the trouble spot where north-south and east-west traffic meet and drivers often feel anything but serene. Traffic from Varese and Lake Maggiore on the A8 and from Switzerland and Como on the A9, can also get tied up here. Genoa, to the southwest of Milan, is reached by the quieter A7.

Approximate driving times to Milan: From Turin – 1 hour; Bologna – 2 hours; Florence – 3 hours; Venice – 3 hours; Rome – 6 hours.

Coach services: Milan has no coach station. Coaches for the airports run from the Air Terminal at the Stazione Central (see Getting There By Rail section), while the principal intercity and international coaches depart from Piazza Castello, next to Castello Sforzesco. The coach company, Autostradale (tel: 02 801 161, website: www.autostradale.com ), provides information on connections to the rest of Italy. The Azienda Trasporti Milanesi (tel: 02 7252 4360; website: www.atm-mi.it ) office in Stazione Centrale also offers advice. Visitors to the country should remember that in Italy’s heavy traffic, coaches are no faster than trains and are often more expensive.
The international departures, operated by Eurolines (tel: 02 7200 1304 or 055 357110; website: www.eurolines.it ) from Piazza Castello, connect with services to most European cities. Direct services from Milan include Warsaw, Prague, Vienna and Istanbul.

Getting There By Rail

The main station in Milan is the Stazione Centrale, Piazza Duca d’Aosta (tel: (848) 888 088 or (1478) 88088 – from Italy only), which has high-speed links to other major cities in Italy including Bologna, Venice, Genoa, Turin, Florence and Rome. The vast neo-Babylonian faade dates from the 1930s, dwarfing the ticket offices below from where escalators rise to the platforms and shops. Facilities include a tourist information office (tel: 02 7252 4360), post office, bank and self-service restaurant. Full business facilities are available from Eurostar Club (tel: 02 6698 1013; fax: 02 6707 7355), which offers four conference rooms (16 to 200 people), workstations, fax, copiers and translation services. Membership for six months costs 50.00. Car hire companies Hertz and Maggiore have offices by the Air Terminal (eastern flank of the station), where the buses for Linate and Malpensa depart.

Milan has 10 other stations mostly feeding commuter routes. Porta Garibaldi has useful services to Varese, Bergamo and Cremona. Trains from Cadorna station (downtown Milan), run by Ferrovie Nord Milano – FNM (tel: 02 20222; website: www.ferrovienord.it ), include the Malpensa Express and regional services to Como and north Italy. The Italian state railway, Ferrovie dello Stato (tel: 02 1478 88088, local information; website: www.fs-on-line.com ), runs the rest. Trains are reliable and fairly priced, although hefty supplements can be added depending on the type of train (Diretto, Inter-Regionale, InterCity or Eurostar). By law, all train tickets must be validated by stamping them in the yellow machines on the platform before boarding; failure to do so can result in a large fine.

Rail services: The direct Rome-Milan service between Italy’s most important business centres is fast and reliable. Services include the InterCity, with services to destinations such as Rome (journey time – 5 hours 40 minutes), and the luxurious Treno Eurostar, which also links Milan to Rome (journey time – 4 hours and 30 minutes) via Bologna and Florence – each service requires supplements. For ports, there are regular trains to Venice (journey time – 2 hours 45 minutes) and Genoa (journey time – 1 hour 30 minutes). The EuroCity train service links Milan to more than 40 other European destinations, including Paris, Basel and Brussels.

Transport to the city: The Stazione Centrale is a 30-minute walk from the city’s key attractions. Visitors should take a taxi, the metro (yellow line 3) or ATM bus 60. Cadorna station (for those arriving on the Malpensa Express) is on metro line 1 (red). The metro station at Stazione Centrale, on lines 2 (green) and 3 (yellow), is known as Centrale FS.

Getting Around

Public Transport
For those foot-weary travellers tired of dodging scooters, Milan has a comprehensive transport network run by Azienda Trasporti Milanesi or ATM (tel: 02 7252 4360; website: www.atm-mi.it ). Swapping between the metro, bus, tram and trolley bus is easy, thanks to an integrated ticketing system. Services operate daily 0600-2400, with night buses running to around 0130. Tickets cost 1 and last 75 minutes, allowing the traveller to use unlimited buses and trams within this time or make one trip on the metro.

The metro has three lines: the red MM1, green MM2 and yellow MM3. The lines converge at Duomo, Centrale FS, Loreto and Cadorna. Tickets must be validated by punching them in the SITAM machines on-board buses or at the metro stations. Single tickets at 1 or carnets of 10 tickets costing 9.20 are available for purchase from newsagents, tobacconists (a capital T for tabacchi distinguishes these outlets), most coffee bars and at automatic vending machines at major metro and bus stops.

Passes, valid for one or two days, are available for purchase from ATM railway offices at Cadorna, Centrale FS, Duomo, Loreto and Romolo. The one-day abbonamento giornaliero pass costs 3, while the two-day abbonamento bigiornaliero pass costs 5.50. These are good value for individuals on short visits but also for families on Sundays when one ticket is valid for both parents and children.

Taxis
Taxis are generally white (some are yellow or painted in livery of sponsors) and can be hailed on the streets, although they rarely stop. It is better to hire them at taxi ranks outside train stations. Visitors can telephone from a landline (tel: 02 4040 8585) and an automated voice will inform them of the nearest rank. Telephone bookings are run by co-operatives. The main firms are Radiotaxi (tel: 02 6767 or 5353) and Autoradio (tel: 02 8585).

The minimum fare is currently 3. However, with a base charge of 2 and a charge of around 0.80 per kilometre, plus supplements for luggage, night-time travel or travelling on a Sunday, taxi costs can quickly add up. Tipping is not expected, unless the driver has been exceptionally helpful, but one usually rounds the fare up to the nearest Euro.

Limousines
Luxury cars, chauffeured by English-speaking drivers, can be provided by Autonoleggio Pini (tel: 02 2940 0555; website www.pini.it ) or the Eurochange Business Centre (tel: 02 5858 1199), based at Malpensa airport. Prices start from 270 for eight hours, including 10% taxes and allowance for the driver’s lunch.

Driving in the City
If at all possible, driving in the centre of Milan should be avoided. Streets in the city centre are congested virtually all day and night and any street can become a hotspot. Parking is also very difficult – Italian parking techniques are often unusual. Paying for hotel or private garages in the city centre is expensive. Roadside parking in the historic centre is limited to a maximum of two hours within the blue lines marked by sosta a pagamento (pay to stop) signs. Motorists must buy special cards (Sosta Milano) for 3 for two hours in the centre and 2 outside the historical zone, from ATM offices at metro stations or bars and tobacconists, then scratch out the relevant date, hour of arrival and whether they plan to stay one or two hours. Drivers must also purchase Sosta Milano in the area of the trade fairs, when these are in progress. For visitors making a day trip to Milan, the best option is to head to one of the park and ride schemes run by ATM, which connect with Milan’s metro system. Electronic signs on the main roads into the city indicate directions to the nearest car park and the number of spaces remaining. The car parks are open 0700-2000 and parking costs 2.60 for eight hours, a veritable bargain in comparison to private car parks. Those determined to drive further in could try the private car park of Autosilo Borgospesso, Via Borgospesso 18, close to the Cathedral (open 24 hours).

Most Italians drive as if they were Formula One racing drivers and, although there are relatively few accidents, one must always be extremely careful. Rush hour can run from 0700-1100 and 1500-2100 or far later (many football fans drive around Milan blowing their horns for hours after home victories). The public transport system is excellent and much faster than travelling by car.

Car Hire
Drivers must be 23 years or over (depending on company policy) and must have been in the possession of an EU licence or full International Driving Permit for at least one year. Insurance is included in the price of hire. One must leave a credit card as security.

At least three major companies have car hire offices in the city centre: Avis, Via Corelli 150 (tel: 02 5530 5276; website www.avis.com ), Hertz, Piazza Duca D’Aosta (tel: 02 6698 5151; website: www.hertz.com ) and Maggiore, Via Canonica 64 (tel: 02 311 029). Avis car hire is also available at Stazione Centrale, Galleria delle Carrozze (tel: 02 669 0280) and at Piazza Diaz, near the Duomo (tel: 02 863 494). The national booking line for Avis car rentals is 199 100 133.

Despite the popularity of motoring holidays, car hire in Italy is expensive, costing from 250 per week. It is best to add collision damage waver (CDW) and personal accident insurance (PAI).

Bicycle Hire
Milanesi are enthusiastic cyclists and often spend Sundays cycling along the canals or cycle paths to the countryside outside the centre. Cycling in the centre may seem a good option in a city that is flat and has many dedicated cycle paths, however, traffic fumes, hair-raising driving and tram tracks are just some of the problems cyclists face. Hiring bicycles is not common, as most Milanesi buy their own, but AWS Bicomotor, Via Ponte Seveso 33 (tel: 02 6707 2145), is one place that does (rates from 21 per day). They are open Tue-Sat 0900-1300 and 1500-1700.

Business

Business Profile
Milan is unique among Italy’s major cities for being predominantly a business rather than a tourist city. In an increasingly global market, the large international companies usually choose Milan over Rome for their Italian headquarters. Not only is the city well located (closer to the heart of Europe) but it also enjoys a temperate climate, has a modern infrastructure, efficient transport network and offers a well-educated, dynamic labour force. Unemployment figures in 2002 were 6.5%, considerably less than the national average of 9.1%. However, with the problems after September 2001, the global collapse of the telecommunications companies and the current serious downward revision of the world’s stock markets, this rate is bound to rise over the next year. The workforce is young (40% are under 35) and intellectual. Milan’s five universities contribute heavily to research, innovation and the supply of bright youth into the workforce. Since 1998, far more women than men have entered the workplace. This is partly due to younger women ignoring the traditional Italian stereotypes and partly because women account for more of the temporary and contract jobs. Despite problems since the telecommunications crash of 2001, there is still an acute shortage of trained workers in construction, information and communication technology; in that same year the Italian government was still forced to establish special immigration quotas for these fields.

Milan’s economic success in the early 20th century was based on manufacturing, particularly in the automobile industry. Pirelli and Alfa Romeo remain intrinsic symbols of the city and have been joined by textile manufacturers like Aurelio Valentino and the pharmaceutical industry, such as Unilever, Panexport Italia and European Generics Vanderval Group. The Italian giant Marzotto, which own Calvin Klein, also has their retail headquarters here. Increasingly, however, Milan’s success has been in the service sector, where 63.5% of the labour force is employed.

Armani, Versace and Valentino may hog the limelight but the increasing diversity in and the growth of the finance, media, publishing, fashion, design and communications sectors underpins the city’s prosperity. The Italian headquarters of most major international banks, such as Citicorp, can be found close to Italy’s stock market in Piazza Affare. Both the state-owned television company, RAI, and Mediaset, the media empire of Silvio Berlusconi (the Italian Prime Minister), are based here, as is the Italian publishing giant Arnolfo Mondadori.

Recent investment in the city’s international trade forums has been extensive. State-of-the-art conference facilities have opened at Filaforum in the Milanofiori district, Palazzo Affari in the financial centre, and three new pavilions in the Fiera district, Milan’s dedicated trade fair. The Fiera (website: www.fieramilano.com ) will move to new headquarters in Rho-Pero probably by March 2004. The present site will become a huge park with cultural facilities, museums and possibly the new home of RAI, Italian state television. The new Fiera will be equipped with high-tech communications-oriented facilities. Designed by architect Massimiliano Fuksas, the new site will be 2 million square metres (about the size of 57 football stadiums), the largest trade fair site in Europe.

Milan’s economic future still looks bright. The city continues not only to exploit the strength of its financial markets and its fashion fairs in February and September but also new revenue sources from the rapid growth of investment in Internet technology. The technology fair in October, hosted by SNAU, has become one of the largest of the year, with over half a million visitors and 2,900 exhibitors. Internet companies Lycos, Yahoo and Altavista have all based their Italian operations in Milan, along with homegrown Internet providers Arianna and Virgilio. The result is a mecca for business travellers who annually spend over 100 billion Euros in the city.

The introduction of the Euro has already brought mixed blessings. Rounding up prices has meant that the Italian cost of living has risen by approximately 550 per year (the equivalent of around 350 or US$535) although some prices are now falling due both to competition and reaction to overpricing. However, centralised economic control may very well stabilise the economy to a level previously unimaginable.

Business Etiquette
In general, the Italian laid-back attitude to life does not extend to their working day, and their approach to business is fairly formal. Appointments for meetings should be made in advance and punctuality is respected. Business cards are commonly exchanged by way of introduction. Smart dress is always appropriate – in keeping with the city’s stylish reputation, the Milanesi dress up at every occasion. Most executives will speak English but appreciate a visitor who makes a formal effort to speak their language. Italian associates should always be addressed as Lei (the polite form of tu) unless otherwise indicated. Normal business hours are 0900-1700, but executives often put in much longer hours.

A world away from the languor and dust of southern Italy, Milan’s pace is fast and more akin to London than Rome, and things like long, leisurely lunches are much less common. Invitations to the homes of Milanesi are rare, as many live a considerable distance from where they work, commuting into the centre from the suburbs. In spite of the pressures at work, the Milanesi like to enjoy life and there is a lot of after-work unwinding in bars. If concluding a business deal, rather than long lunches or protracted meetings in the afternoons, discussions are likely to continue after working hours in the bars or gastronomic haunts of the city’s top hotels. Business is indeed the raison d’tre for the city, and the pace of the creative, thoroughly modern and well-informed Milanesi’s working life may well surprise visitors.

Sightseeing

Sightseeing Overview
Visitors are not drawn to Milan for its culture, which is a pity since the city centre has many museums and a particularly good selection of world-class art exhibitions and individual pieces. Everybody has heard of Da Vinci’s The Last Supper, recently restored and in the Dominican convent of Santa Maria delle Grazie. However, the less famous Brera Gallery is an international treasure house (on a par with the Uffizi Gallery in Florence or London’s National Gallery) and Michelangelo’s last work, the extraordinary Pieta Rondanini, in the civic galleries of the Sforza Castle, is a surprise find for many of the city’s visitors.

Sightseeing is made easier by the proximity of attractions to the city’s Duomo (Cathedral). Visitors should not be afraid to explore on foot, ignoring the efficient transport services when time permits. The centre has an attractive number of pedestrianised quarters where a cocktail of architectural styles (the grandeur of Imperial Austria, the grace of Renaissance Italy and the optimistic bravado of the Belle Epoque) often stand shoulder to shoulder with the very modern, to stylish effect. The pace of Milan can be unrelenting. Visitors embracing the invigorating tonic of city life will need to balance their time – as the Milanesi do. Urban romantics will enjoy wandering the southern stretch of the historic centre, taking in the canal banks of the Naviglio Grande, where the old wash houses can still be seen, exploring the University district and the historic collection of basilicas Sant’Eustorgio and Sant’Ambrogio. The city parks, Parco Sempione and the Giardini Pubblici, are to the north and pleasant enough for a break on a sunny day.

Tourist Information
Azienda Promozione Turistica del Milanese (APT)
Via Marconi 1
Tel: 02 7252 4301. Fax: 02 7252 4350.
E-mail: apt.info@libero.it or apt.milano@trentino.it
Website: www.milanoinfotourist.com
Opening hours: Mon-Fri 0845-1900, Sat 0900-1300 and 1400-1800, Sun 0900-1300 and 1400-1700 (winter); Mon-Fri 0830-2000, Sat 0900-1300 and 1400-1900, Sun 0900-1300 and 1400-1700 (summer).

There is another tourist information office in Stazione Centrale, Piazza Duca d’Aosta, on the first floor (tel: 02 7252 4360), open Mon-Sat 0800-1900, Sun 0900-1230 and 1330-1800.

Passes
The Welcome Card includes a one-day public transport pass, a short history of the city, a map of the city (including public transport routes), discount vouchers for selected shops and a CD compilation of classical music. Unfortunately, no discounts or free entrance to tourist sights are currently offered. The card is available for 8.00 from the tourist information office.

Key Attractions

Duomo (Cathedral)
At the heart of the city, Milan’s Duomo is the world’s largest Gothic cathedral, begun in 1386 and added to each century thereafter. The best time to visit is in bright sunshine, when the windows create a kaleidoscope of colour through the cavernous interior. St Charles Borromeo, its most important benefactor, lies buried at its heart. A champion of the Counter Reformation, he commissioned the wooden choir, many of the statues and the nivola, the peculiar basket that is used in one of Milan’s stranger ceremonies. Twice a year (May and September), Milan’s most important relic, a nail from the cross of Christ, which has been displayed over the high altar since 1461, is brought down by the bishop who is hoisted up there in the nivola. Visitors should explore the underground octagonal chamber where Borromeo is buried (Lo Scurolo di San Borromeo) and the adjacent Treasury. World War II bombs thankfully just missed the Cathedral’s roof, which nests amid a majestic web of flying buttresses, spires and pinnacles. Above the forest of 135 spires and more than 3,400 statues, the small gilded copper statue of the Virgin, the ‘Madonnina’, erected in 1774, stands over the central lantern, 108.5m (119ft) above the city; the statue is lit at night. Visitors should take the lifts outside the apse to avoid climbing the 158 stairs. On a clear day, the view north extends as far as the Alps. Il Museo del Duomo next door is well worth a visit. Tickets cost 6 (concessions available).

The front of the Duomo is now fully covered with 7,000 square metres of plastic-faced scaffolding. This is the only way to reach the 12 spires of the upper facade. It may be two years or more before this comes down, depending on the amount of restoration work needed at the top of the front facade.
Piazza del Duomo
Tel: 02 7202 2656. Fax: 02 7202 2419.
E-mail: fabbrica@duomomilano.it
Website: www.internetlandia.com/duomo
Transport: Metro Duomo; bus 2, 3, 8, 15, 18 or 19.
Opening hours: Daily 0700-1900.
Admission: Free (cathedral); 1 (treasury); 5 (terrace by lifts); 3.50 (terrace by stairs); 3 (autoguide hire - 5 if returned after 1730).

Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II
Entered from the Piazza in front of the Cathedral, the glass-domed cruciform Vittorio Emanuele II Gallery is a vast Belle Epoque shopping arcade. It was built to link the Piazza del Duomo to the Piazza della Scala and soon became Milan’s conservatory. Winter and summer, Milanesi can be seen here, escaping the rain, browsing the exclusive shops and sipping Campari and soda in the bars.

Piazza del Duomo
Transport: Metro Duomo; bus 2, 3, 8, 15, 18 or 19.
Opening hours: Daily 24 hours (shops, bars and restaurants close at various times).
Admission: Free.

Museo Teatrale alla Scala (Theatre Museum at La Scala)
Due to the modernisation of La Scala, the museum has moved until 7 December 2004. Opera lovers should visit this museum, crammed with rich mementoes of the celebrated opera house, La Scala. Two halls are devoted to Milan’s darling Verdi, whose ‘Slaves Chorus’ from Nabucco remains the unofficial Italian anthem. Memorabilia include the spinet on which he learned to play, scores in his own hand and the jewel-encrusted baton presented to him after the triumphal reception of Aida. Rossini, Puccini and Toscanini are honoured alongside him.

Palazzo Busca, Collegio San Carlo, Corso Magneta 71
Tel: 02 4691249.
Website: www.lascala.milano.it
Transport: Metro Conciliazione or Cadorna. Tram: 19, 24, 29, 30. Bus 94.
Opening hours: Daily 0900-1800.
Admission: 5.

Santa Maria delle Grazie
The Last Supper (Il Cenacolo) is one of the most famous paintings in the world. Lodovico Sforza commissioned Leonardo da Vinci’s masterpiece (1495-97) for the refectory adjoining the Dominican church of Santa Maria delle Grazie. The painting depicts the moment of Christ’s revelation of the betrayal. The 12 apostles are grouped into threes, Christ at the centre, Judas (described by Vasari as a ‘study in perfidy’) to the right, his hand frozen on the bag of silver on the table. The positions of the figures are thought to relate to the signs of the Zodiac. Over the years, paint flaked off because Leonardo applied it directly to dry plaster (fresco secco) instead of bonding the pigments with wet plaster (buon fresco). Controversy rages over the recent removal of layers of corrective overpainting in the 18th and 19th centuries. Despite deterioration, the painting is lucky to have survived (a bomb destroyed the refectory roof in 1943) and the experience of seeing it for the very first time is quite unforgettable.

Piazza Santa Maria delle Grazie 2, Corso Magenta
Tel: 02 498 7588; reservations 02 8942 1146.
Transport: Metro Cadorna; tram 20, 24, 29 or 30.
Opening hours: Tue-Sat 0815-1845, Sun 0900-2000; visits are limited to 15 minutes, in groups of 20; booking is mandatory and reservations are only accepted 60 days prior to visit (credit cards are not accepted). Opening times can vary.
Admission: 8 (plus 1 reservation fee); 11.25 with guided tour, in English 0930 and 1530.

Museo d’Arte Antica del Castello Sforzesco (Museum of Historic Art of the Sforza Castle)
Three municipal museums compete for attention within the redbrick 15th-century Sforza Castle on the edge of the Parco Sempione, but the most venerable is the Museum of Historic Art. Visitors come to see Michelangelo’s last work, the unfinished Piet Rondanina, depicting the Virgin cradling the body of Christ, which was bought by the museum in 1952. The sculpture’s rough surface and abstract sinuosity is strikingly modern. Upstairs, above the extensive sculpture galleries, there is a large collection of paintings, including notable works by Mantegna, Antonello da Messina and Leonardo da Vinci. Besides the combined Museum of Historic Art and the Pinacoteca del Castello (housing Italian painting from the 13th to 18th century), the other two museums, the Museum of Applied Arts (exhibiting wrought-iron work, ceramics, ivory and musical instruments), and the Archaeological Museum, are housed in the fortress (Rocchetta).

Piazza Castello
Tel: 02 6208 3940.
Transport: Metro Cairoli or Cadorna; bus 43, 57 or 70; tram 1, 4, 12, 14, 20 or 27.
Opening hours: Tue-Sun 0930-1730.
Admission: Free.

Museo Poldi-Pezzoli (Poldi-Pezzoli Museum)
The Poldi-Pezzoli Museum’s varied and often exquisite collection of art, furnishings and historic arms was put together by the 19th-century aristocrat, Gian Giocomo Poldi Pezzoli (1802-79). Milan’s favourite painting (after The Last Supper), Antonio Pollaiolo’s Portrait of a Lady, hangs here. The profile portrait of an elegant and well-attired lady has since become an icon for Milan’s own style and elegance. The museum also hosts paintings by Andrea Mantegna and Sandro Botticelli.
Via Manzoni 12
Tel: 02 794 889 or 796 334. Fax: 02 454 7384.
E-mail: info@museopoldipezzoli.org
Website: www.museopoldipezzoli.it
Transport: Metro Duomo or Montenapoleone.
Opening hours: Tue-Sun 1000-1800.
Admission: 6 (concessions available).

Museo Bagatti Valsecchi (Bagatti Valsecchi Museum)
The Palazzo Bagatti Valsecchi, built by two brothers in 1883 as their ideal Renaissance household, was only opened as a museum in 1994. Avid collectors of antiques from the 15th and early 16th centuries, they furnished the rooms with their vast collections. The result is a fascinating insight into the mentality of 19th-century Milan, which had just recovered its independence, nostalgically looking back to the days of the Sforza. Highlights of the collection include the fine painting of Santa Giustina by Bellini and the exquisite majolica and Venetian crystal glassware.

Via Santo Spirito 10/Via Ges 5
Tel: 02 7600 6132. Fax: 02 760 14859.
E-mail: info@museobagattivalsecchi.org
Website: www.museobagattivalsecchi.org
Transport: Metro Montenapoleone or San Babila; bus 54, 61 or 73 to San Babila; bus 94 to Piazza Cavour; tram 1 to Via Manzoni.
Opening hours: Tue-Sun 1300-1745. By appointment only in July and August.
Admission: 6 (3 on Wed); concessions available.

Pinacoteca di Brera (Brera Picture Gallery)
Napoleon, whose statue by Canova stands in the courtyard, opened the Brera Picture Gallery in 1809, a collection that was enriched with objects confiscated on his Italian campaigns. Formerly a Jesuit Academy of Science, the Brera’s name comes from the meadows in which it once stood. The collection is best known for its Venetian and Lombard masters. Particularly fine are the lyrical Piet by Giovanni Bellini, depicting the death of Christ, and Mantegna’s virtuoso treatment of the same subject, the body foreshortened and viewed from the soles upward. Tintoretto’s gruesome depiction of the spirit of St Mark hovering over his cadaver, appearing to the Venetian merchants in the gloom of the Alexandrian catacombs, is hard to miss. Raphael’s Wedding of the Madonna and two rare works by the enigmatic Piero della Francesca should also not be overlooked. The Baroque masterpieces include Caravaggio’s Supper at Emmaus, dramatically staging the New Testament scene in a pool of light.

Via Brera 28
Tel: 02 8942 1146. Fax: 02 720 01140.
E-mail: brera.artimi@arti.beneculturali.it
Website: www.brera.beniculturali.it
Transport: Metro Cairoli or Lanza or Montenapoleone; tram 1, 4, 8, 12, 14 or 27; bus 61 or 97.
Opening hours: Tue-Sun 0830-1915; Sat until 2300 (Jun-Sep).
Admission: 5 (concessions available).

Museo Nazionale della Scienza e della Tecnica Leonardo da Vinci (Leonardo da Vinci National Science and Technology Museum)
In the city of the Last Supper, interest in the creative genius of Leonardo da Vinci is understandable. Most visitors come to this museum, devoted to the history of science, to see the Leonardo Gallery, with its host of models (both static and functioning) that illustrate da Vinci’s intuitive genius. His designs for war machines, flying machines, architecture and production awaken admiration for a man whose ideas, even when not 100% successful (such as the rotating screw, claimed as a precursor to the helicopter), display incredible foresight.

Via San Vittore 21
Tel: 02 485 551.
E-mail: museo@museoscienza.org
Website: www.museoscienza.org
Transport: Metro San Ambrogio; bus 50, 54, 58 or 94.
Opening hours: Tue-Fri 0930-1700, Sat and Sun 0930-1830.
Admission: 7 (concessions available).

Civica Galleria d’Arte Moderna (Modern Art Gallery)
The Modern Art Gallery is a treat for lovers of 19th- and 20th-century art. Housed in Napoleon’s former summer palace on the edge of the Giardini Pubblici, the extensive collection covers neo-classicism to the modern day. The Impressionists are well represented in the Grassi collection on the second floor, with works by Bonnard, Czanne, Corot, Renoir, Sisley and Vuillard. The gallery also holds numerous works by Umberto Boccioni (1882-1916), one of the founders of Futurism (approximately 1910).

Palazzo Reale, Via Palestro 16
Tel: 02 7600 2819.
Transport: Metro Palestro; tram 1 or 2; bus 94.
Opening hours: Tue-Sun 0900-1730.
Admission: Free.

Further Distractions

Basilica de Sant’Ambrogio
Built by Saint Ambrose, the Patron Saint of Milan, and dedicated to the third-century Martyrs Gervasius and Protasius, the original basilica dates back to the fourth century. The three saints’ remains can be seen in a glass case under the main altar. Bishop Ambrose’s most famous convert was St Augustine. The Sant’Ambrogio basilica (9th-12th centuries) is one of Milan’s finest churches, a monumental building in the mature Lombard Romanesque style, retaining its early Christian basilica plan based on the architecture of ancient Rome. The Chapel of St Victor (Sacello di San Vittore in Ciel d’Oro), at the end of the south aisle, is a vaulted funerary chapel built in the church cemetery in the fourth century. It was lined (in the next century) with superb mosaics, of which that of St Ambrose may be from living memory. The Museo della Basilica di Sant’Ambrogio, which includes paintings, fabrics from the fourth century, illuminated manuscripts, stained glass and mosaics, has now been divided between the Museo Diocesano and the San Vittore in Ciel d’Oro part of the Basilica.

Piazza Sant’Ambrogio
Tel: 02 8645 0895.
Transport: Metro Sant’Ambrogio.
Opening hours: Mon, Wed-Fri 1000-1200 and 1500-1700; Tue, Sat and Sun 1500-1700 only.
Admission: Free.

Il Cimitro Monumentale (Monumental Cemetery)
A few blocks east of Stazione Garibaldi, the Monumental Cemetery, opened in 1866, may appeal to romantic souls, happy to leave the bustle and grime of Milan’s quick and ponder Milan’s dead instead. Much of the funerary architecture is excellent Art Nouveau, celebrating the passing of Milan’s rich and famous, including Toscanini, novelist Alessandro Manzoni and poet Salvatore Quasimodo. The Palanti Chapel is more poignant, commemorating the 800 Milanesi killed in Nazi concentration camps. A guidebook available at the entrance indicates the most notable monuments.

Piazzale Cimitro Monumentale 1
Tel: 02 659 9938.
Transport: Metro Garibaldi; tram 3, 4, 11, 12, 14, 29, 30 or 33; bus 41, 51, 70, 94.
Opening hours: Tue-Sun 0830-1715.
Admission: Free.

Tours of the City

Walking Tours
The APT Information Office, Piazza Marconi 1 (tel: 02 7252 4300), runs a walking tour every Monday, starting at 1000 from the APT office. At a cost of 15, the three-hour tour takes in the city centre and includes entrance to the Scala. Private guided tours also can be booked from the Centro Guide Turistiche di Milano, Via Marconi 1 (tel: 02 8645 0433; fax: 02 863 210).

Bus Tours
The only way visitors can see Leonardo da Vinci’s The Last Supper without having advance reservations is to take the three-hour APT bus tour (tel: 02 7252 4300). Advance reservations for the bus tour are not possible – visitors should simply turn up at the tourist information office on Via Marconi 1, off Piazza del Duomo, beforehand and buy tickets (40) prior to departure, which is daily at 0930. The tour lasts three hours and includes the Cathedral, Sforza Castle and entrances to The Last Supper, the Brera National Gallery and the Scala Museum.

Tram Tours
Reproductions of sepia photographs showing Milan’s trams are common in Milan’s bars and restaurants. One of the more charming ways to get to know the city centre is by taking the restored 1920s no 20 tram (‘Ciao Milano’), managed by the private company STAB (tel: 02 3391 0794; website: www.atm-mi.it/eng/tempoli/turisti/ptemplis.htm ). The tram departs from Piazza Castello on a circuit that takes just under two hours. It is an ideal form of transport for getting to the Cathedral, The Last Supper, the Piazza della Scala and the Brera. Tickets cost 20 for a two-hour tour including stops but do not include entrance to any attraction. Commentary in English, French, German, Spanish or Japanese is provided via headphones. In summer (and winter weekends), there are three trams on Sat, Sun and holidays (at 1100, 1300 and 1500), while winter sees only two trips (1100 and 1300). The tours are not available the second and third weeks of August.

Excursions

For a Half Day
Certosa di Pavia: The Carthusian Monastery of Pavia (e-mail: certosapavia@libero.it; website: www.comune.pv.it/certosadipavia/home.htm ) is a living museum, an architectural treasure box containing prized artworks and run by the monks who produce excellent Chartreuse liqueurs. Located 140km (87 miles) south of Milan, 40km (25 miles) from the city of Pavia, in an idyllic setting, the monastery is reachable by bus or train. Hourly buses leave the Piazza Castello and the monastery is a 15-minute walk from the bus stop. Regular trains (headed for Genoa) depart from Milano Centrale. The Certosa di Pavia is a 15-minute walk (skirting the Certosa walls) from the station. Duke Gian Galeazzo Visconti ordered the monastery’s construction in 1396, the same year as Milan’s Cathedral, as a monument to the Visconti dynasty. The Cistercian monks conduct tours, in return for voluntary donations to the order, showing the cloisters, cells and beautiful frescoes by Pietro Perugino and Bergognone. The ornate marble faade by Amadeo is a masterpiece, famous throughout Italy. The monastery is open Tuesday to Sunday 0900-1130 and 1430-1800.

For a Whole Day
Bergamo: Only 43km (27 miles) from Milan, the walled hilltop town of Bergamo is an enchanting place with a wealth of medieval, Renaissance and Baroque architecture. Visitors should avoid the lower town (Bergamo Bassa) and instead head for the Piazza Vecchia in the heart of the upper town (Bergamo Alta), with the Palazzo della Ragione, restaurants, shops and the Torre della Civica (ascended by lift). In the nearby Piazetta del Duomo, the Cathedral is overshadowed by the Romanesque church of Santa Maria Maggiore, which includes a 19th-century memorial to the native composer, Gaetano Donizetti (whose museum is also worth a visit). The best views are from the Castello on the summit of San Vigilio. The Accademia Carrara, at the bottom of the plateau on the eastern side, is one of Italy’s finest art galleries, beautifully laid out and featuring important art from the middle ages to the 20th century. Open Wednesday to Monday 0930-1230 and 1430-1730, admission to the gallery is 2.58.

Most of the province’s cultural events take place in Bergamo, including the Donizetti Festival (Sep) and the series of Baroque concerts presented in its churches (Oct). Other events include the Feast of Sant’Antonio Abate, which includes the blessing of carts and farming tools (17 Jan), Bergamo’s summer festival, Estate vivi la tua citt (Jun-Sep), and an antique market on the third Sunday of every month. The holiday of the city’s patron saint (26 August) includes a huge fresh produce and livestock market. Trains run from Milan (Porto Garibaldi or Lambrate), with the last train leaving Bergamo at about 2230, allowing enough time to enjoy an excellent meal in the upper town. It is best to go straight uptown, either by bus 1 or 3 from outside the station (one can go all the way, or get off at the funicular stop on Via Vittorio Emanuele II, which is free with a bus ticket).

APT Bergamo, Viale Vittorio Emanuele 20, Bergamo (tel (035) 210 204; fax (035) 230 184; e-mail: aptbg@apt.bergamo.it; website: www.apt.bergamo.it ) provides further information.

Bellagio: The picturesque mountain and lake setting of Bellagio is an obvious tonic for the city weary. Located some 50km (31 miles) north of Milan, visitors must have a car, unless taking a train to Como and then catching one of the boats from Piazza Cavour quay. The town enjoys fantastic views and a temperate microclimate – hence the luxury villas nestling around its narrow streets. The Villa Serbelloni, owned by the Rockefeller Foundation, has wonderful terraced gardens, while the neo-classical Villa Melzi, where Franz Liszt and Stendhal once stayed, has beautiful landscaped gardens. The villas are open March to October and guided tours are available in English daily at 1100 and 1600. Tourist information is available (tel: (031) 950 204; website: www.bellagiolakecomo.com ).

Sport

Milan’s main sporting attractions are football and motor racing. The city has two football squads, Inter Milan (website: www.inter.it ) and AC Milan (website: www.acmilan.com ), which share the Stadio Meazza (more often known as the San Siro Stadium) Via Piccolomini 5, playing on alternate Sundays. A free shuttle from metro Lotto takes fans to the stadium before matches but not afterwards. The walk back takes about 15 minutes. Large Milanese banks sponsor both teams – Banco Popolare di Milano sponsors Inter Milan and Cariplo sponsors AC Milan. AC Milan tickets (16-120) are available for purchased from branches of the relevant bank, especially the branch at Via Verdi 8 (tel: 02 88 661). For Inter Milan, tickets (11.85-120) are available from TicketOne (tel: 02 892 424; website: www.ticketone.it ) and, for AC Milan, from their ticket office, Via Turati 3 (tel: 02 6228 5660). The two teams are usually neck and neck, hotly contesting Serie A and the Coppa Italia. In the 2002/2003 season, Inter were second and AC Milan third behind Juventus; AC Milan won both the Italian Cup and the European Champions League.

Each year on the second Sunday of September, the racetrack at La Monza, north of Milan, hosts Formula 1’s Grand Prix. Trains or buses (723 or 724) from Stazione Centrale serve the stadium, taking between 30 and 50 minutes. Tickets are available from ACI Milano (tel: 02 774 5400) at the racetrack or direct from the racetrack (tel: (039) 24821; website: www.monzanet.it ). Tickets for general admission to the stands start at 50, rising to more than 500 for reserved seats.

Cycling: Cyclists can stay fit and avoid the traffic and weather using the covered piste at the Velodromo di Trezzano sul Naviglio, Via Carpaccio 17 (tel: 02 4840 9142).

Fitness Centres: Milan’s gyms are more likely to be centri di benessere (wellness centres) with not only exercise equipment but also relaxation rooms, hairdressers, tanning beds and nutritionists. Full details of all leisure centres is available online in Italian at www.milanosport.it . Skorpion Club, Corso Vittorio Emanuele 24 (tel: 02 781 424) is steps from the Duomo and offers many facilities including turkish baths and wonderful views from its 11th floor solarium; daily prices start at 40. Downtown Palestre, Piazza Cavour 4 (tel: 02 760 11485; website: www.downtownpalestre.it ) is expensive but has an extraordinary range of features. FilaForum Stadium, Assago Via Vittorio 6 (tel: 02 488 571) offers many facilities besides fitness, including squash courts, a pool and an ice rink; a shuttle service connects the stadium with Famagosta metro.

Golf: Lombardy’s only public golf course is Le Rovedine, Via Karl Marx 18, 20090 Noverasco di Opera (tel: 02 5760 6420; fax: 02 5760 6405; website: www.rovedine.com ), 7km (4miles) from the centre of Milan. A round during the week costs approximately 31 and 55 at weekends and holidays. Both of the following clubs require membership in a golf club at home; fees are about 45 for a round. On the outskirts of the city, southwest of the centre, Castello di Tolcinasco has a dedicated Golf and Country Club, Tolcinasco, 200 Pieve Emanuele (tel: 02 9072 2740; website: www.golftolcinasco.it ), offering 36 holes. A round during the week will cost approximately 50 (60 at weekends) and membership is not required. Alternatively, there is an 18-hole course, Golf Club Milano (tel: (039) 303 081, website: www.golfclubmilano.it ), at the Parco di Monza near the autodrome – membership is not required.

Ice Skating: Ice skating is a popular way for students and young executives to unwind until late in the night. The rinks stay open until midnight every day except Monday. Good rinks include Palazzo del Ghiaccio, Via Piranesi 14 (tel: 02 73 981) which opens late Wed-Sat (ice disco Sat from 2130) and PalAgor, Via dei Ciolamini 23 (tel: 02 4830 0946). During the Christmas season, a rink is set up in Piazza del Duomo. (See also Fitness Centres, FilaForum, above).

Squash: Squash is much more of a younger Milanese sport than tennis since it fits in better with the fast lifestyle – it is played indoors, is over quickly and one does not need annual membership to a club. Vico Squash, Via GB Vico 38 (tel: 02 4801 0890; e-mail: viavicocity@tiscalinet.it) has a dozen courts and costs about 8 per session.

Swimming: One of the best of the public centres is Lido di Milano, Piazzale Lotto 15 (tel: 02 392 66100) with indoor and outdoor pools, water slides and also rollerblading rink and four tennis courts.
Tennis: Most tennis clubs require membership. The Centre Sportivo Mario Saini, Via Corelli 136 (tel: 02 756 1280) has 12 courts; it is almost essential to book in advance. There are also four public courts at Lido di Milano (see Swimming above) and public courts at FilaForum (see Fitness Centres above).

Shopping

Milan is a temple of high fashion, home of Armani and Versace, and naturally sure to delight the high priests and priestesses of style. The so-called Quadrilateral (Quadrilatero della Moda) of fashion, formed by Via Montenapoleone (‘Montenapo’), Via Sant’Andrea, Via Monzani and Via della Spiga north of the Cathedral, is top of the list. Names such as Armani, Dolce & Gabbana, Ext, Ferragamo, Gucci, Missoni, Prada, Trussardi, Valentino, Versace and Vuitton read like a veritable ABC of Italian chic. Those lacking the supreme self-confidence to enter such hallowed ground as Gianni Versace’s four floors of couture (on Via Montenapoleone 2) should stick to window-shopping paradise on Via della Spiga, where traffic is banned. L’Armadio de Laura, Via Voghera 25, has some fine offbeat thrift and end-of-season returns.

For the top names in furniture and design, streets to the north (close to the Quadrilateral in Corso Matteoti, Via Durini and Via Manzoni) are best, although pricey. Alternatively, a good bet is the district around the Brera – once the haunt of artists who have now been priced out by the exclusive boutiques and art galleries. The pedestrian Via Fiori Chiari is a particularly pleasant spot for browsing galleries, with a number of good cafs along the way. The area is also popular with antique dealers, especially on the third Saturday of each month (not August), when stalls are set up in the road. Antique fairs are also popular at the weekends around the Naviglio Grande (website: www.navigliogrande.it), along the banks of the canal. Dropping down south of the Cathedral towards the university area and the Porta Ticinese, prices fall as high fashion makes way for casual and sporting fashion. Distinctly less sophisticated but still trendy, the area between the Porta Ticinese and the Universita Statale is popular with students. Via Torino, leading southwest from Piazza del Duomo, is a good place to pick up fashion items for children.

Outside the historic centre, fashion outlets are able to move into even bigger premises: Corso Buenos Aires (north), Corso Vercelli (west) and Corso XXII Marzo (east) are runners up for fashion shopping. Clothes, hats, luggage, shoes, accessories and sports fashions are generally high quality and good value in Milan, although not cheap. Stockhouse, Via Montegani 7 (tel: 02 8951 3951) is a good discount store; others are listed on the Corriere della Sera’s website (www.corriere.it ), where the shopping pages (Il mondo degli outlet) detail outlets and bargains (spacci e occasioni). For the ultimate shopping experience, English-speaking consultants are available from Travel Media Consulting, at 60 for two hours and 30 for each additional hour (tel: 02 5831 2696), to guide and help carry purchases.

For those who prefer the bustle of street markets, Viale Papiniano (metro San Agostino) is open all day Saturday, while Via Zivetti (metro Centrale FS) is open on Wednesday mornings. The flea market, Fiera di Senigallia, takes place along the Darsena basin on Saturdays between 0830 and 1700. The flower market sets up on Sunday mornings in Piazetta Reale (Mar-Jun and Sep-Dec).

Winter sales start in the second week of January and summer sales in the second week of July. Most shops open 0930-1300 and 1530-1930, although the bigger stores stay open all day. Most shops close on Sunday and reopen on Monday afternoon, except food stores, which reopen on Monday morning but close again for the afternoon. However, many shops open daily during the Christmas season and major bookshops are open until 2300. Many shops close for most of August.

Sales tax varies between 12 and 14%, depending on the value of goods purchased. Non-EU citizens should retain receipts for goods over 154.90 from a single store to reclaim their VAT (IVA), although this is a drawn-out process and visitors may prefer to purchase gifts at the Duty Free shops, where the equivalent of VAT is automatically deducted from the cost.

Culture

Milan’s cultural scene boasts interesting and diverse offerings for classical purists, as well as for those interested in the avant-garde. A visit to La Scala will never be forgotten and should be top of the billing for foreign visitors. Italian speakers should not ignore the stage too, as the Teatro Piccolo offers excellent performances all year round and has become one of the city’s best-known cultural institutions next to La Scala.

Listings are best obtained from the pullout in the Corriere della Sera (website: www.vivimilano.corriere.it ) on Wednesdays. The free monthly information programme, Milano Mese, in Italian, has listings and is available from the tourist information office and most hotels. The English language HelloMilan and Milan Where, When, How are available free from hotels, bars and the Duomo tourist office. Tickets for most events are available for purchase at Ricordi Box Office, Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II (tel: 02 869 0683), La Prevendita, Virgin Megastore, Piazza Duomo 8 (tel: 02 7200 3370), and Last Minute Tour, Fiorucci, Galleria Passarella 1. Tickets are also available online at Ticketweb (website: www.ticketweb.it ).

Music: Opera lovers know the Teatro alla Scala, La Scala for short, the world over. The theatre is currently undergoing a full interior modernisation. All performances have been transferred to the new Teatro degli Archimboldi. Hopefully, La Scala will reopen on 7 December 2004, the beginning of the 2004 opera season. The Teatro degli Archimboldi is a new theatre built by the City of Milan in collaboration with Pirelli. Its larger capacity means that about 500 more seats are currently available. The new theatre box office opens two hours before performances start at 2000. The Museo Teatrale alla Scala has moved to Palazzo Busca, Collegio San Carlo, Corso Magenta 71. The main ticket office remains under the Piazza Duomo, admittance from the stairs of the Duomo Metro; opening times 1200-1800 daily.
Teatro degli Arcimboldi
Viale dell’Innovazione
Tel: 02 7200 3744.
Website: www.teatroallascala.org
Transport: Shuttle bus from Piazza Duomo on performance evenings, every five minutes from 1845-1700. This service is free for season ticket holders; all others should buy a normal metro ticket. Metro (M1) to Precotto, then shuttle to Biococca), every 8-10 minutes. Bus 44 from Metro (M2) Cascina Gobba to Biococca (via Brecotto). Tram 7 from Lagosta to Mattei (via M3 Zara). Trains from Porta Garibaldi, Lambrate, Rogoredo and sometimes from Stazione Centrale to the Greco-Pirelli station, using a normal ATM ticket. There is a special train on performance nights (about 600 seats) from Greco-Pirelli railway station to Milano Centrale and Porta Garibaldi Station; this is free for season ticket holders and all others should purchase a normal ATM ticket for the city network. This train departs 20 minutes and 40 minutes after performances.
Opening hours: Usually two hours before the performance.
Admission: depends on the performance and seats available.

Milan’s respected symphony orchestra, the Orchestra Verdi (tel: 02 8338 9201; website: www.orchestrasinfonica.milano.it ), founded in 1993 and conducted by Riccardo Chailly, frequently performs concerts in the Auditorium di Milano, Corso San Gottardo. Performances take place on Thursday and Friday at 2030 and on Sunday afternoon at 1600. Tickets cost 18-50. Another illustrious venue for classical concerts is the Conservatorio Giuseppe Verdi, Via Conservatorio 12. Tickets for the Cantelli Orchestra (tel: 02 655 391; website: www.orchestracantelli.it ), which plays at the Conservatory, cost from 18.

Theatre: Milan has become a driving force behind Italian drama since the foundation of the Teatro Piccolo by Giorgio Strehler and Paolo Grassi in 1947. The company puts on a wide repertory of international, classical and experimental drama in three different theatres. Audiences can choose between programmes for the Teatro Grassi,Via Rovello, the experimental theatre Teatro Studio, Via Rivoli, and the new Teatro Strehler, Largo Greppi. The box office is at Via Rovello 2 (tel: 02 7233 3222; website: www.piccoloteatro.org ).

Dance: The home of classical ballet in Milan is also at La Scala (see Music above), which is also the base for its renowned ballet school, the Scuola di Ballo del Teatro alla Scala, Via Verdi 1 (tel: 02 877 995). CRT (Centro di Ricerca per il Teatro) at Teatro dell’Arte, Viale Alemagna 6 (website: www.teatrocrt.org ) is Milan’s main advocate for contemporary dance, organising performances and festivals like Short Formats Festival in May which investigates all the latest trends in European dance.

Film: Italians share a great passion for the cinema and Milan’s city centre has over 20 cinemas. Luchino Visconti’s masterpiece Rocco and His Brothers (1960), starring Alain Delon, was filmed extensively in and around Milan and along the Naviglio Grande. The area around Corso Vittorio Emanuele is a good spot for cinemas with the latest releases, such as Ambasciatori (tel: 02 7600 3306). For art movies, Cineteca Museo, Palazzo Dugnani, Via Manin 2/A (tel: 02 655 4977), is a good option, while English-language films are shown on Monday at Anteo, Via Milazzo 9 (website: www.anteospaziocinema.com ), on Tuesday at Arcobaleno, Viale Tunisia 11 (tel: 02 2940 6054, website: www.gruppounicinema.com/arcoba.htm ), and on Thursday at Cinema Centrale, Via Torino 30 (tel: 02 874 826).

Milan has not been a particularly popular location for films. This is partly due to the great old buildings being part of a modern cityscape rather than being in isolation as in Rome, and partly to Italian post-war neo-realism with its emphasis on the south of the country. Vittorio De Sica's socially conscious fairy tale, Miracolo a Milano (Miracle in Milan, 1950) includes fantasy elements like the boy Toto being found in a cabbage patch, angels and a dove which grants wishes, against a story of poor squaters fighting eviction by a rich landowner. Lichino Visconti's Rocco e i Suoi Fratelli (Rocco and His Brothers, 1960) describes the problems of a poor Sicilian farming family who move to Milan; although primarily set in the northern industrial suburb of Bovisa, there are scenes in the centre of the city including a dramatic one near the outside top of the Duomo. There was a brief revival of interest in Milan in the 1980s, although most films merely had small sections where the characters were leaving the city for somewhere else, as in the 1989 film Marrakech Express. Michele Sordillo's Acquario (late 1990s) is a triptych of stories concerning love, care for the aged and problems arising from having someone stay in one's apartment. Renato Castellani's 1982 superb docu-drama The Life of Verdi (the Italian edition is simply called Verdi) has many accurate reconstructions of 19th century Milan and Venice; the 580 minute programmes were made by European television companies and have been released on video.

Cultural Events: Milan always has a series of events and minor festivals going on somewhere in the city. For information, the Commune of Milan (Municipality of Milan) regularly updates its website (www.comune.milano.it ). There are usually a number of jazz, theatre and dance spectacles to be found around the city during the summer months, particularly in July. Visitors should not ignore the religious festivals, as these traditional festivals are often Milan’s best-loved and most charming features. Visitors will discover that the Milanesi are particularly fond of Christmas, kick-starting the celebrations on 7 December with the festival of O Bej, O Bej (since 1288) and finishing with the Procession of the Corteo dei Re Magi on Epiphany, 6 January. The main cultural centre, the Palazzo Triennale, located on the western flank of the Parco Sempione (tel: 02 724 3410; website: www.triennale.it ), hosts a major international exposition of the arts every three years, the next being in 2004 (22 Mar-13 Jun).

Literary Notes: Modern Milan is a major centre for the publishing industry and not surprisingly retains a keen interest in literature. Visitors to the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II may happily while away an hour or two as they explore the bookshops Zanichielli and Ricordi. Academics are sure to head to the Biblioteca Ambrosiana, next to the art gallery, to study the writings of Leonardo da Vinci and other historic texts in its significant collection. Alessandro Manzoni is the best-known Milanese author. His novel, I Promessi Sposi (The Betrothed, 1827), is a tale of two lovers set against times of war and pestilence in Lombardy, during the 1620s. Gabriele D’Annunzio’s early autobiographical novel Il Piacere (The Child of Pleasure, 1898) is a classic of the decadence movement; his poetry is also excellent. Part of Hemingway’s A Farewell to Arms takes place in Milan. Many Italian authors have since ended up in Milan, including the 1959 Nobel literary prize winner Salvatore Quasimodo, a Sicilian poet who is buried in Milan’s Monumental Cemetery. The most important Italian literary event of the year, the Bagutti Prize, originated in Milan’s Bagutti Ristorante (see Restaurants section), Via Bagutti, where the founders of the Literary Review (Fiera Letteraria) used to eat and where they founded the prize in 1925.

Nightlife

As one would expect in young cosmopolitan Milan, the nightlife is vibrant. The evening begins with the passegiata, a cultural institution itself in Italy, where everyone, attired in the smartest clothes possible, ‘walks out’ – strolling up and down central streets in order ‘to see and be seen’. Centres of the passegiate vary in Milan but the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II and the pedestrian zones of the city along the Via Dante are good areas to go and watch.

A typically modern European feature of the city is the profusion of restaurant-bars, which try to catch clients for the whole evening and where it is possible to dine leisurely or just sit over an aperitivo or a bottle of wine. The trend is to move on during the night, visiting two or three locales, thereby demonstrating social savvy and bella figura (being ‘with it’ is perhaps the best expression of this notoriously vacuous Italian phrase). The Navigli district around the canals in the southwest of the city is one of the best areas for bars and cafs, extending up to Porta Ticinese. North of the Cathedral, the area around the Brera offers many pleasant boutique cafs, restaurants and clubs. Most bars and restaurants stay open until late (0100), after which the energetic move on to the nightclubs (discoteca), which stay open till 0400 (most shut Mondays). The legal drinking age is 16 years. Expect to pay 6 for a bottle of wine in a bar and at least 7.50 for entry to clubs.

Entertainment listings are available online at www.corriere.it and www.hellomilano.it. The newspapers Corriere della Sera (on Wednesday) and La Repubblica (on Thursday) also supply listings, as does the tourist offices, Spettacoli Milano and Mese Milano.

Bars: Coffee drinking during the day is a quick-fix for the business community; only the serious shoppers settle down for coffee and wonderful pastries. Between 1800 and 2100, cafs and bars come into their own as the afterwork crowds seek out the perfect aperitivo – as well as the best place to see and be seen. Many bars offer free finger food with aperitives. Classic cocktails often involve Prosecco (dry or sweet sparkling wine) or Campari. Drinks range between 4-9.

Dieci (10) Corso Como, Corso Como 10, with its slightly oriental slant to decorations is one of the hottest bars in town, as is the classic Victoria Caf in the financial district, Via Clerici 1. Il Gattopardo Caf, Via Piero della Francesca 17 in a deconsecrated church in the upwardly mobile northwest of the centre is still the haunt of the idle rich; it is essential to book in advance. The Garden Bar of the Sheraton Diana Majestic (see also Hotels section), Viale Piave 2 is the place to be during warm weather, especially during Milan fashion weeks. In the Navigali district, La Biciclette, Conca del Navigalo 10, with its monthly changing display of artwork, attracts an extremely varied crowd; the buffet is a classic. ATM in a refurbished former tram station, Bastioni di Porta Volta, north of the Duomo, is often considered the city’s best bar, frequented by an artistic crowd – certainly somewhere to check out the forefront of Milanese fashions. Local bars may offer more peaceful surroundings.

Casinos: There are no licensed casinos in Milan.

Clubs: The Black, Via Canonica (tel: 02 3360 3907) with its retro science fiction feel has taken over from Killer Plastic, Viale Umbria 120 (tel: 02 733 996; website: www.clubplastic.biz ) as the place to go for Italian house and techno music, although the latter remains popular. Hollywood Rythmoteque, Corso Como 15 (tel: 02 659 8996; website: www.discotecahollywood.com ) remains popular with the glamorous crowd, especially on Sundays. Caf L'Atlantique, Viale Umbria 42 (tel: 02 5519 3925; website: www.cafeatlantique.com ) begins with aperitivi and later becomes an extremely popular club into the early hours; hip-hop and house music is featured on Thursday and Friday and more commercial music on Saturday and Sunday. The Shocking Club, Bastioni di Porta Nuova 12 (tel: 02 8656 4650; website: www.shockingclub.net ) reopened early in 2002 with new minimalist decor; the club lives up to its name, especially on Wednesdays with its outrageous theme nights. Large clubs (up to 2000) include Propaganda, Via Castelbarco 11 (tel: 02 5831 0682) and Alcatraz, Via Valtellina 21 (tel: 02 6901 6352; website: www.alcatrazmilano.com ) a refurbished industrial building with two dancefloors, two performance spaces, three bars and a pub. Because this is Milan, one should always dress to impress for any club or disco. More and more clubs are introducing a pay-as-you-leave system where you are given a ticket (tessera) at the door which is punched when you use the cloakroom or buy drinks or food; the fine for losing one's tessera is usually exorbitant. The Milanese usually go clubbing midweek; weekends are when large numbers from the outlying suburbs and towns come into Milan to party.

Live music: Rolling Stone, Corso XXII Marzo 32 (tel: 02 733 172; website: www.rollingstone.it ) is very much Milan’s temple of rock during the week (dancing on Fridays and Saturdays; dinner nightclub on Tuesday). Scimmie, Via Ascanio Sforza 49 (tel: 02 8940 2874; website: www.scimmie.it ) still manages to maintain its reputation as the spot for jazz in the heart of the Navagali district, although there are many blues and world music concerts these days. In the same area, Blues House, Via S Uguzzone 96 (tel: 02 2700 3621) is equally popular both with locals and foreigners. Tangram, Via Pezzotti 52, is excellent for rock and blues, and Tunnel, Via Sammartini 30, is a good bet for indie music. All the major bands and solo artists include Milan on their tours, usually playing either at the FilaForum stadium, Via di Vittorio 6 (website: www.filaforum.it ) or PalaVobis Music Village, Via Sant’Elia 33 (tel: 02 542 754), close to Lampugnano.

City Statistics

Location: Lombardy, northwest Italy.
Country dialling code: 39.
Population: 1,181,700 (official estimate for 2002).
Ethnic mix: 96.5% Italian, 1% Asian, 1% African, 1% European, 0.5% American.
Religion: Predominantly Roman Catholic.
Time zone: GMT + 1 (GMT + 2 from last Sunday in March to Saturday before last Sunday in October).
Electricity: 220 volts AC, 50Hz; round two-pin or three-pin plugs are standard.
Average January temp: 1C (34F).
Average July temp: 22C (72F).
Annual rainfall: 1,012mm (39.8 inches).

Special Events

Inauguration of the Opera Season, 7 Dec, Teatro alla Scala
Inauguration of the Piccolo Teatro Season, 7 Dec, Teatro Piccolo, Via Rovello 2
O Bej, O Bej, Milan’s Christmas celebrations begin with the traditional open-air fte celebrating Milan’s patron saint, St Ambrose, 7 Dec, outside the Basilica of San Ambrogio, for five days
Milan Marathon, Sunday in early Dec (website: www.milanomarathon.it )
Natale in Fiera (Christmas Fair), stalls, folklore shows, acrobatic displays, jazz, cabaret and concerts, mid-Dec-31 Dec, Fiera
Corteo dei Re Magi (Procession of the Three Wise Men, Epiphany), costumed procession, 6 Jan, from the Cathedral to the Basilica of Sant’Eustorgio
MODIT-Milanovendomodo (Fashion in Milan), early Mar, Fiera and city (website: www.modaindustria.it )
Carnevale Ambrosiana (Ambrosian Carnival), Milan’s longest carnival, ending the first Saturday of Lent instead of Shrove Tuesday as elsewhere, late Feb/early Mar, Piazza Duomo
Milan-San Remo, cycling competition, mid-Mar, from Milan to San Remo on the western coast
Oggi Aperto (Open Today), monuments and historic buildings normally closed to the public are opened for the day, third weekend of Mar, throughout the city
Fiera dei Fiori (Flowers Fair), flower market, Apr, along the canals in the Navigli district
Bagutta-Pittori all’Aria Aperta (Bagutta Open-air Painting Exhibition), outdoor exhibition of artists’ work, third week Apr, Via Bagutta
Milano Cortili Aperti (Milan Open Courtyards), private residences organise special openings for the public, Sunday in mid-May, historic centre (website: www.italiamultimedia.com/cortiliaperti )
Festa del Naviglio (Naviglio Festival), large summer fte including torchlight processions, folk music, dancing and crafts, 1 Jun, Naviglio
Sagra di San Christoforo (Festival of Saint Christopher), evening celebrations upon barges in the canals, 15 Jun, Naviglio
Milano d’Estate (Milan Summer), summer entertainment, Jun-Aug, Parco Sempione
Festa Latino-Americano (Latin-American Festival), Jul-Aug, Forum di Assago
Formula 1 Grand Prix, second Sunday of Sep, Monza (website: www.monzanet.it )
Festa del Chiodo (Fte of the Nail), festival celebrating a nail that came from the cross on which Christ was crucified, first week Sep, Cathedral
Le Vie del Cinema (Ways of the Cinema), films from the Venice Film Festival, Sep, local cinemas
Festa di Chiaravalle (Chiaravalle Fair), fair held in the shade of the ciribiciaccola (bell tower) of the Chiaravalle Cistercian Abbey, exhibitions and entertainment, 6 Oct, Chiaravalle Abbey
MODIT-Milanovendemodo (Fashion in Milan), fashion week, early Oct, Fiera and city (website: www.modaindustria.it )
Mostra di Pittura l’Arte al Cielo Aperto (Open-air Art Exhibition), Oct, in and around Via Bagutta
Fiera dei Libri Antiquati (Antique Books Fair), Oct, Palazzo del Ragione, Via Mercanti

Cost of Living

One-litre bottle of mineral water: 1.20
33cl bottle of beer: 2.50
Financial Times newspaper: 2.40
36-exposure colour film: 5.00
City-centre bus ticket: 1.00
Adult football ticket: From 11.85
Three-course meal with wine/beer: From 18

1 Euro (1) = 0.67; US$1.29; C$1.61; A$1.65
Currency conversion rates as of May 2005