With a population of 1.3 million people, Milan is the capital of Lombardy.

Besides the industrial sectors, such as textiles and garments manufacturing, chemistry and heavy machinery, which made it the biggest Italian industrial city, Milan is world-renowned for fashion. Milan houses the most famous fashion designers in the so-called "fashion district" (Via Montenapoleone, via della Spiga, Corso Venezia, Via Sant'Andrea).

Milan is also an art city, with important churches, historical and architectural buildings, and monuments. To name only few examples: The Duomo cathedral, the Castello Sforzesco and Santa Maria delle Grazie (which houses the renowned "Last Supper" by Leonardo Da Vinci).
 

Milan is very well served by public transport which includes 3 subway lines and 120 surface lines (buses, trams and filobuses).
The website www.atm.it in an useful tool to check the lines, to find the most convenient ticket or pass.

 

Moreover, Milan is covered by more than 140 kilometers of bicycle lanes and has a public bike sharing service (BikeMi). Easy, practical and ecological, it was created as an alternative system of public transport to facilitate short trips within the city.
 

Milan offers a rich program of entertainment, ranging from music to theater performance, from exhibitions to cinema.

In such a big city, you can find restaurants for all tastes, from the international cuisine, to the local trattoria.
Any bar in Milan offers the "aperitif", which is called 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.

 

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).

Milan is in a strategic geographical position that allows one to reach many tourist destinations in a few hours: the Italian Alps are one 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 (Linate, Malpensa Orio al Serio), Milan is well connected to most of the Italian and European cities.
 

Monthly expenses per person in Milan are estimated to be about € 800-1.000, depending on the accommodation solution you find. Some examples:

Accommodation: 400-600 € for a room in a shared apartment;
Public transportation: 1,50 € (1-journey ticket); 17 € (student monthly pass);
Food: Milk: 1,20 €/l; Bread: 3,50 €/Kg; Chicken: 8,00 €/Kg; Pasta: 1,00 €/Kg;
Spare time: Movie Theater: 8,00 €; Theater: 15-25 €; Fast food menu: 5,50 €; Pizza: 10-15 €