The fashion and design capital of Italy, Milan is so much more than the Duomo and La Scala. Here are some of the most fascinating facts about one of the most stylish cities of Europe!
Milan was founded in 600 B.C. by the Celts who hailed from Gaul. They named the city Mediolanon, Celtic for “in the middle of the plain”.
In olden days, Milan used to be almost like Venice – built on water.
The city connected lakes Maggiore, Como, and the Ticino river with other waterways and the sea; however, this whole system was eventually closed down.
Leonardo Da Vinci made the first ever water lock in 1482 to control the difference between water levels in the Milanese channels.
Milan was one of the very few European cities that was not impacted by the plague of the 14th century.
Duomo di Milano, the Milan Cathedral, is the 5th-largest in the world, and it took over 600 years to complete its construction. They began building the cathedral in 1386 and it was completed in 1965.
You can adopt a gargoyle on the Milan Cathedral’s façade for the price of 100,000 euros.
In Milan, every night from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. is the time for ‘aperitif’, which means that in restaurants and bars, after buying a drink, huge spreads of food are given out for free.
The La Scala opera house in Milan is the most famous and largest one in Europe. Doing a show here is considered to be very prestigious.
Milan has the most skyscrapers in all of Italy. Therefore, the Italians rightfully call it the “City of Skyscrapers”.
The tram network in Milan is extensive and most developed in all of Western Europe.