"Vecchia e bella milano" a Milan Travel Page by venteeocho

The hard-working Milanese run their busy metropolis with efficiency and aplomb. Milano is the country's economic engine room, home to Italy's stock market and business centres. This stylish city is also the world's design capital and rivals Paris as a leading fashion centre.

Milan is all about worldly pleasures. Shopping is of almost religious significance. Theatre and cinema flourish in this fashionable milieu, as does a hopping club scene and a slew of tempting restaurants. Apart from a few gems, the city is not renowned for its looks; it's the lifestyle that counts.
Milan's Duomo is the world's fourth-largest church. This late-Gothic wonder features a forest of spires and statuary, marble pinnacles and pillars, all woven together with a web of flying buttresses. Above the altar is a nail that is said to have come from Christ's cross. The view from the roof is the city's finest.

A gilded copper statue of the Madonna rises above the myriad vertices, distracting awed observers from the church's most interesting omission: The Duomo has no bell tower.

The neighbouring Museo del Duomo chronicles the church's six centuries and displays an interesting collection of art and artefacts.

History is achingly prominent here. The breathtaking Duomo is one of the world's largest, most striking cathedrals, while Milan's art galleries, many housed in former palaces, are home to a host of significant works that include da Vinci's Last Supper. You may even find yourself sinking your morning espresso in the same cafe that composer Verdi frequented. Milan receives more visitors than Venice or Florence, yet manages not to be a tourist trap - perhaps that's the real secret to Milan's style.