Welcome to Milan
Situated just south of the Italian Alps, in the region called Lombardy, Milan is the largest city in northern Italy, home to business centres, financial institutions and Italy’s stock market. Milan is probably best known as the city of fashion with the numerous fashion designers present in the city.
Rich history
Milan and its surrounding region have been inhabited since around 400 BC when the Celtic Insubres settled in the area. During the following centuries Milan was ruled by multifarious people from Romans to Longobards, from which the name of the region Lombardy derives.
During the Middle Ages Milan prospered as a centre of trade due to its command of the rich plain of the river Po and routes from Italy across the Alps. The construction of the impressive cathedral the Duomo was started in 1386 – a gigantic construction work that went on for over 500 years.
In 1450, Milan was conquered by Francesco Sforza whose family made Milan one of the leading cities of the Italian Renaissance. 
The Sforza Castle in the city centre now houses several museum and art gallery collections including Michelangelo’s last sculpture, the Rondanini Pietà.
One of the major masterpieces from this era is found in the beautiful Renaissance church of Sante Maria delle Grazie: Leonardo da Vinci’s Last Supper is one of the worlds most important and moving works of art. It has survived many wars and is today on UNESCO’s World Heritage list.
The following centuries the city was dominated by the Spanish, French and Austrians. During its Austrian domination Milan became a centre of lyric opera, Mozart wrote three of his operas here and the Theatro alla Scala was inaugurated on 3 August 1778. La Scala hosted the prima (first production) of many famous operas, and had a special relation ship with Giuseppe Verdi who held the premiere of his operas Otello and Falstaff in the theatre.
The political unification of Italy in 1861 cemented Milan’s commercial dominance over northern Italy. Rapid industrialisation put Milan at the centre of Italy’s leading industrial region, and as Milanese banks dominated Italy’s financial sphere, the city became the country’s leading financial centre. Milan’s economic growth brought a rapid expansion in the city’s area and population during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
Print this page
Practical information
Time Zone
Italy follows Central European Time (CET) which is one hour ahead of Greenwich Mean Time (GMT).
Climate and weather conditions
Milan has a temperate climate with warm summers and cold winters. Summer climate is normally hot, however some rain can occur. Average temperature in June is 25°/30°C degree.
Emergencies
The most important telephone numbers in an emergency are 113 or 112 for calling the police/carabinieri, 115 for the fire brigade, and 118 for ambulance service.
Electricity
Italy, like most other European countries, has 220V AC, 50Hz and uses two- or three-pin plugs. Visitors from the UK will need an adaptor for electric appliances, whereas North Americans need a transformer in order to use their 110/125V appliances.
Tourist Information 
For more information about Milan visit one of these external websites:
Provincia Milano
Travelplan