Bella Milano or Milan the Mistake?

(first impressions of a young American, circa 1999)

Bella Milano or Milan the Mistake? ‘A question not to be asked,’ Falstaff (Shakespeare’s fat comical knight) would say. Why would a mountain-loving, outdoorsy person like me choose to live in a flat, industrial city? Is there something in the air here that leads me to do the crazy things I do, like hiking from one country to the next knowing that I would have to hitch home, and fast, to get to work on time the following day? Actually, there is a lot in the air here that I would probably not wish to know about. But what appeals to me about this city, disregarded by tourists, maligned by other Italians and even many Milanese, what is it that would make an adventurous person want to reside here? I don’t know, perhaps I’m simply out of my mind. Though there may be a little more to it than that, because I feel the city’s energy and creativity relates directly to the energy and creativity involved with exploration and freethinking. Milan is a city whose beauty must be actively uncovered; it is not an obvious ‘museum’ like Florence nor a monumental feast like Rome. As in the mountains, where one should really venture off road in order to appreciate the wilderness, in Milan one must explore a bit beyond the norm in order to find the most interesting parts of the city.

Milan is a mistake in the sense that, unlike practically every other city, town and village in Italy, Milan has no natural border or protective boundary. No castle on the hill, no river running though the city, no great walls surrounding the old center, no old center, really, thanks to the destruction of WWII, niente, nulla, nada. Totally flat, with no natural waterways, hardly any parks worth mentioning, and one apartment complex after the other. Horrendous traffic, no pedestrian areas of the city, no compact city center, horrible pollution, cold nebbia (fog) enveloping the city all winter long, unbearably steamy summers, mosquitoes until Christmas and no screen windows anywhere (not yet invented apparently). My list of gripes goes on. But I have to admit the following: Milan was founded as ‘Mediolanum’, Latin for ‘Middle of the Plain’ and grew up as a great trading center, a natural meeting place for those just coming over the Alps or coming from the Mediterranean or Adriatic seas. Today it is still a great center of international business, more important than Rome. While there were no natural waterways, the industrious natives constructed canals in the 12^th century, building a complex irrigation system for the fields and connecting the city with the Po River (and hence Venice and the Adriatic Sea). As for hills, the Milanese made their own hill from the destructed buildings from the Second World War, now the park of La Montagnetta. While there is no real ‘pedestrian-only’ zone, unfortunately, there are plenty of historic buildings, churches (the awesome Duomo, for one), museums and many interesting streets to uncover. Most importantly, there is a lot of life here, a lot of young people, as anyone who wants to find work in Italy will come here first. People work hard, but they also know how to play – many lively bars, clubs, a world-famous opera hall (La Scala), and two professional soccer teams are just a few of the city’s offerings. As for the traffic, and the weather, it is true that they can really suck. Living here can be demoralizing for anyone who relishes natural beauty, though it is easy to escape, even just for the day. The Western Alps are just two hours away, the Dolomites three hours, the Mediterranean Sea in Liguria two hours, Lakes Como and Maggiore less than an hour distant and the wine country of the Oltrepo Pavese, the Monferrato and Langhe one-to-two hours away from the city.

Furthermore, creative energy abounds here, even if Florentines or Romans dismiss greater Milan as an ‘urban wasteland’. Even Leonardo da Vinci chose Milan as his place of residence over Florence. Sick of boring papal and noble commissions, the genius moved north to work for the city’s third-rate autocrat, Lodovico Sforza, redesigning the city’s canals (the now lively Navigli district) as well as its defenses (Sforza Castle) and painted his famous ‘Last Supper’ fresco. Today, Milan combines the energy of northern Europe with the creativity of southern Europe. It is well known as one of the fashion capitals of the world, and is also a great center of design in general, of high technology and many other creative industries. Its bars offer unique ‘happy hour’ buffets, where one can eat quite well, enough for the entire night and in many cases at no extra charge beyond one drink (and some people don’t even get this…).

Milan as International City is in direct contrast however with its roots as ‘Lumbard’ capital. People from all over Italy and the world reside here, but there remains a certain closed atmosphere, not just from some older residents but in general, perhaps thanks to the months that nebbia encloses the city or the lack of geographical perspective. Milanese will often be the first to admit this. In addition, thanks to its position as #1 Italian City, some residents have acquired a certain New Yorkese attitude, a haughtiness not as intense perhaps as denizens of other world capitals, but one clearly visible at times. The ‘Milanese’ for example is often blamed for horrendous driving on the autostrada – if you go to pass a car and someone else tails you furiously, at 150 km an hour… this impatient bastard is classified as a ‘Milanese driver’. Not to say to say that there aren’t bad drivers from Cuneo or Cosenza as well, but the proverbial fast-paced-never-rest Milanese can have a negative connotation. Like ‘Yankee’, the nickname of clever, hardworking people from New England, USA, ‘Milanese’ also occasionally incurs a negative connotation.

The Milanese, at their best, are a gregarious, dynamic bunch. A certain ‘Most Difficult Man to Find in Milan’, a Ph.D. biologist-turned-fitness instructor/house painter/skydiving coach (who left the university setting disgruntled with the bureaucracy) is among those who, despite an insane work schedule, manages to get away for the occasional ski weekend or Asia fling. A Garfagnana native and his Japanese girlfriend, both equally bombarded by work, occasionally get a chance to meet up at their local bar, an excellent microbrewery, or head down to his family’s farm for a feast. Notwithstanding his tiring work duties, a talented carabiniere sings with a Hispanic-American choir, plays trombone in a Big Band and in a carabinieri group, and makes surprise musical appearances elsewhere. A young workaholic lawyer took the time to learn wakeboarding and became so enthused by the sport that she is now helping her brother start an extreme sportswear company. E così via…(and so forth…)

Read a good guidebook to find out about the best bars, restaurants etc., be sure to get a good map or better yet befriend a Milan resident who can take you around (you may still want the map). The Corso di Porta Ticinese is the lively gateway to the Navigli, with the adjacent rare greenery of the Parco delle Basiliche, a park between the churches of Sant’Eustorgio and San Lorenzo. Chinatown, Via Paolo Sarpi, has some excellent restaurants. Walk past the understated wealthy residences of narrow Via Santa Marta and view the very particular collection at the Museo Poldi Pezzoli on Via Brera. Shop the ultramodern megastores on Corso Vittorio Emanuale II. Sit and relax in Caffè Pusterla on Via dei Amici, or one of the many other historic streetside cafés throughout the city. See if you can walk faster than everyone else on a particular stretch of sidewalk. Walk through the Roman Arch at the end of Corso di Porta Ticinese around 3 in the morning and take in the bongo beat, this post renown for its late night drumming (and neighboring residents for their complaining). Climb up to the top of the Duomo, and regard the statue-saint that blesses the nearby Torre Velasca, a modern skyscraper. A benediction for this city of commerce?