Milan’s great masterpieces are often hidden away: they are best discovered strolling around unhurriedly and keeping a watchful eye for hidden details. One of these masterpieces is the millennial bell tower, still in operation, built next to the Romanesque church of San Celso. Its long story starts in 374 AD, when Saint Ambrose (the beloved […]
Milan’s Urban Wilderness
To welcome spring we’re dedicating this month’s cover story to a little known Milanese Museum: the Museo Botanico Aurelia Josz, which focuses on nature and on the century-long human impact over the Po Valley, the green plain that stretches between the Alps and the Apennines. This museum was inaugurated in 2015 and is dedicated to […]
Italians, inventors of the Piazza?
If you’ve always thought the piazza was invented by Italians, think again. According to historians, it looks like we owe this invention to the Celts. And Milan, which was founded by the Celts, has certainly kept up the tradition. The Celts handed down their history only orally, through rhythmic lyrics and the sound of stringed […]
A Streetcar Named “Carrelli”
This is a story with a happy ending, without any connection to the 1951 American drama film “A Streetcar Named Desire” directed by Elia Kazan, starring Vivien Leigh and Marlon Brando! This article is about another international “star,” the timeless 1920’s-style white and yellow tram, with dark and shiny teak benches and the interior illuminated […]
From top to sky
Looking down from on high could be one the pleasures of life: a way to admire the view, a discreet glance at the neighbour’s courtyard, and, for Very Important People, even a symbol of their social elevation. In the Middle Ages, towers provided an indispensable tool for anticipating the arrival from afar of a friend […]
After a look up there, could we take the leap on Mars?
Mars, the “Red Planet”, is visible to the naked eye. Known even by the Egyptian astronomers since 1534 B.C., it has always called us from among the stars, awakening our desire to visit. In fact, when the telescope became available, the first step towards the knowledge of Mars was made in 1672 by Giovanni […]
Fresh, fun and funky in water and stone
Villa Litta in Lainate, west of Milan, is a Renaissance playground French novelist Stendhal provided a succinct description. “You have to beware of walking alone at Lainate. The garden is full of water jets built specifically to soak spectators. I unwittingly placed my foot on the first step of a staircase, and six water jets […]
Take a walk on the west side
The Milanese people have always longed to be near the sea! Since the time of the Roman Empire they built a port outside the city walls, and the name of Via Pantano, which means “marsh,” right in what is now the city center, gives an idea of how much the area was linked to […]
Green Greater Milan
This article begins with a question for our readers: “What do you know about Milan”? Almost all foreigners usually say that it is the city of design and fashion, some recall that it is the Italian capital of the economy, others say that it is mainly industrial, many recognize that it is famous as […]
Visit Brera strolling through the centuries
Usually Brera is known as a bustling part of Milan where in the warm summer season people dine outdoors by candlelight. Only the most attentive of them, after a round of window shopping, enjoy a visit to the Picture Gallery, but certainly almost nobody knows that the history of Brera is centuries long, making […]