Milan e poeu pu (Milano, and nothing else).
For many there is Rome, while for others there is the drama and noise of Naples. For a great many though nothing is better or comparable to Milan.
With a metropolitan area which has a population of about 8 million people, Milan is Italy’s main economic centre.
The city of Milan, capital of the Lombardy region, lies at the crossroads of major transport corridors that cross the Po Valley. As one of Italy’s densest and wealthiest population centre’s the Milan region is home to three international airports — Linate, Malpensa and Orio al Serio in nearby Bergamo — which together accommodate 35 million passengers annually.
The Borsa Italiana, based in Milan, is the Italian stock exchange and Italy’s main stock exchange.
Milan is a fashion statement in itself; it has a high concentration of businesses in fashion, textiles, design, chemicals, manufacturing, logistics, banking, sport and media.
The city is also an educational hub being the seat of several universities.
While the lofty spires of Milano’s Duomo is a dominant feature of the city the nearby Castello Sforzesco – the city’s former fifteenth-century defensive fortress – is a place where art can be relished amongst the numerous courtyards. The most prized artworks are certainly Leonardo’s Sala delle Asse and Michelangelo’s Pietà Rondanini, but many other great artists are represented.
If the elegance of the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele is not your design nor the Armani strewn streets across via della Spiga, via Montenapoleone, via Manzoni or Corso Venezia then maybe the designer brands that have long lingered in the north west of Milan are your bag.
In terms of street art Milan isn’t New York City.
While thousands of square feet of street art may be what you find in the Big Apple the same cannot be said for Milan on a comparable level. Many artists are based in Milan and get their message across in their personal creations and in public art projects.
One district where you find street art is in the Quartiere dell’Ortica although generally it is not a place for football murals. With football ultras not being a displaced commodity at the San Siro the fan groups of both Milan clubs are the unmistakable drivers behind the seemingly ever expanding art dedicated to AC and Inter just outside the San Siro.
First sight of the murals arises on the Viale Federico Caprilli – a long avenue that starts not far from Metro station ‘Lotto’. The images and artwork (not football related) end near the Piazzale dello Sport almost adjacent to the Ippodromo del Galoppo – a horse racing track.
Continuing up Via Achille the first sightings of dedicated football art appears near the Curva Nord, the traditional end of Inter fans just outside the San Siro Arena.
The majority of the artwork that is dedicated to AC Milan is concentrated around and near the Via dei Piccolomini and along the traffic blockers on the Piazza Axum which runs adjacent to the Curva Sud.
Here, at the Via dei Piccolomino, the popular nickname of AC Milan Il Diavolo can be seen in colourful rivalry wrestling with the Biscione (a large grass snake) over the Scudetto shield. The large viper is commonly associated with Inter Milan and is also a historic heraldic symbol of the city of Milan.
At the San Siro the sheer number and amount of football murals has increased considerably over the last few years.
As recently as five years ago you would have struggled to find anything. But now the area is now laden with artwork that references AC Milan and Inter fan groups and especially the specific dedicated zones at which the fans of both these great clubs congregate on alternate weeks.
