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Living in Milan

The Duomo cathedral, Milan

• The city
• Transportation
• Entertainment
• Sport activities
• Traveling around
• Weather
• Useful links

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The city

Milan with a population of 1.3 million people is the capital of Lombardy. It is the biggest industrial city of Italy with many different industrial sectors such as manufacturing of textiles and garments, car manufactory, chemistry, mechanical tools and heavy machinery.
Another important industry is tourism and of course fashion. In fact Milan houses, among others, Armani, Dolce& Gabbana, Prada, Versace, Valentino and many other famous fashion designers in the so-called "fashion district" (Via Montenapoleone, via della Spiga, Corso Venezia, Via Sant'Andrea).

The Castello Sforzesco

Milan has always been a rich and important city with its ancient city centre. It has always been a place full of various famous artists and offers a particular assortment of churches, buildings and monuments.

The most famous are: The Duomo cathedral, the Castello Sforzesco and Santa Maria delle Grazie (which houses the renowned "Last Supper " by Leonardo Da Vinci).

Have a virtual tour in Milan

Milan and lake Como (in English)

A slide show Milan's major points of interest

Milano by night

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"Parco delle basiliche"

Transportation

By Public transportation

Milan is very well served by public transportation which includes 3 subway lines and 120 surface lines (buses, trams and filobuses).
The website of the public transportation company in Milan is www.atm-mi.it. On the website, a section provides a "calculate path" service, which determines the easiest way to go from an address to another via the public transportation.

By bike

Milan is covered by more than 70 kilometers of bicycle lanes and has a Bike Sharing service (BIKEME). Easy, practical and ecological, it was created as an alternative system of public transport to facilitate short trips within the city.

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Entertainment

Entertainment in Milan is rich and varied. Below are some selected examples from the large amount of available activities.

"Piccolo Teatro"

Movies and Theaters

There are around 50 cinemas in Milan. Some regularly screen English-language movies.

Milan has a great tradition of theater activity. Countless performances are held throughout the year in numerous theaters.

Some theaters worthy of note are:
- La Scala, the most famous Italian opera theatre;
- Piccolo Teatro, which always includes productions in original language;
- Teatro degli Arcimboldi

La Scala, Milan

Music

The music scene is extensive, ranging from jazz and pop to classic music and vocal. There are numerous places (bars, etc.) that periodically stage singers and bands. As for pop and rock concerts, the biggest venues are MEDIOLANUM FORUM and PALASHARP.

Restaurants and bars

In such a big city, you can find restaurants for all tastes, from the international cuisine, to the local trattoria.
Throughout Milan bars offer the "aperitif", characterized by the Happy Hour, between 6.30 pm and 9.00 pm, when drinks are served at a lower price, accompanied by a warm and cold buffet.

Sport activities

A lot of sport facilities are spread all over Milan (swimming pools, gyms, tennis courts), where you can practice any sport you like.
Soccer is the national sport in Italy, and Milan hosts two of the major football teams, Milan and Inter, which play at the Meazza stadium (or San Siro, as it is best known).

Traveling around

Milan is in a strategic geographical position that allows one to reach many tourist destinations in a few hours: the Italian Alps are an hour's drive away for skiing, walking or climbing; the lakes (lake Como, lake Garda) with their mild climate and beautiful gardens are even closer; the Mediterranean coast, the Adriatic Sea or the Liguria Riviera are reachable in 2/3 hours.
Moreover, thanks to its 5 train stations and 3 international airports, Milan is well connected with most of the Italian and European cities.

Weather

The region enjoys a classic Mediterranean climate - hot in the summer (June-August), with highs of up to 30 ¡C, cool in the winter (December-February) with temperatures that stay between 0 ¡C and 10 ¡C. Springs and falls are the most pleasant seasons of the year, but the weather can be rainy or foggy sometimes.

Useful links

http://www.turismo.comune.milano.it/

http://www.turismo.regione.lombardia.it/en/tours/

http://www.easymilano.it/eng/index.php free magazine for the English-speaking community in Milan

http://www.hellomilano.it/index.htm on-line guide to Milan

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