Milan and its Historical Sites

By Seif Kamel

About Milan
Milan is a city that is located in the Northern section of Italy and it is featured with its hectic and active atmosphere. With more than 1.5 million inhabitants, Milan is considered to be the second largest city in Italy, after Rome, the capital.

Milan however is regarded to be the commercial capital of the county with many business activities carried out in the city. Milan is also a significant commercial and business center of Italy and Europe as a whole and it hosts one of the most important ports in Italy.
Milan has three metro lines connecting the neighborhoods of the city all together. It is one of the Italian cities that are famous for costume designing, football with the most well known clubs of AC Milan and Inter Milan, and historical sites as well.

Most of the inhabitants of Milan, in contradiction with almost all the other regions of Italy, are from German origins that belong to the tribes that came and settled in this area in the 6th century and defeated the Romans who were dominating the whole region.
The city has a unique mixture of historical and modern architectural designs. Many tourists who travel to Italy would like to spend some days in the city.

Although Milan does have the beauty or the large number of the historical monuments of Rome, the magical water passages of Venice, or the magnificent seaside of Sardinia, the city has some of the most significant monuments.
Moreover, Milan is internationally famous for being a wonderful heaven for shopping fans with a large number and variety of shops and markets that sell different sorts of Italian and important products and goods.

The Duomo Cathedral

Being the third largest Christian structures in the world, the Duomo di Milano, or the Milan Cathedral is one of the major highlights of the city. The construction work of the cathedral has originally started in the 14th century and remained for more than five centuries. The Cathedral of Milan is included in almost all travel packages to Italy that contains a visit to the city. The Cathedral is decorated with more than 3500 statues, 135 circular domes made out of marble, and five large bronze doors that were carved by the most skilful Italian artists. Tourists who spend their vacations in Italy are amazed with the beauty of the building of the cathedral.
Tourists are usually encouraged to take the electrical elevator to go to the roof of the Cathedral for marvelous views of the center of Milan and the Alp Mountains.

The Santa Maria delle Grazie Church

The Santa Maria delle Grazie Church is one of the most famous churches in the world and it is included in the UMESCO World Heritage Sites and one of the most important highlights of Milan that is visited by a large number of tourists spending their holidays in Italy.
The Church is especially featured with the painting of the Last Supper that was created by Leonardo da Vinci which stands as a proof of the battles that took place in the former centuries.
The Church together with the painting of Leonardo da Vinci was established at the end of the 15th century. Today, the structure, together with many other historical sites, attracts travelers from all over the world to go on tours to Italy.
During the period of the renaissance, the church and the motif of Leonardo da Vinci started getting damaged  and during World War II, the church was exposed to a series of sever attacks and it was about to be completely destroyed.

This was why Italian authorities restored the church, rebuilt some certain sections of the structure, and adding the colors and paintings to other sections to preserve the church as one of the important historical sites visited by a large number of travelers spending their group tours in Italy.
The Last Supper, the masterpiece painted by Leonardo da Vinci is one of the most significant motifs in the world to the extent that in the high season of tourism in Milan, reservations must be made to view the painting with each person allowed only 15 minutes to view it. 

Teatro alla Scala
The Teatro alla Scala is one of the most popular opera houses in the world. A lot of affordable tours to Italy would include a visit to Milan and to the Teatro alla Scala as well.
This opera house was originally opened in August of the year 1778 with the performance of Antonio Salieri's Europa riconosciuta. In 1776, the theatre was burned so some of the wealthy businessmen of Milan sent a request to Ferdinand of Austria-Este asking for his help to construct a new theatre.

Therefore, the famous architect at the time, Giuseppe Piermarini, who was famous for his new classical designs, drew the primary layout of the new theatre. However, the Austrian ruler, Count Firmian, refused to accept this design.

The second attempt of the Milanese to reconstruct their theatre was actually a success when the Empress of Austria, Maria Theresa, accepted to help the Italians to rebuild the new theatre.
After two years of extensive construction works, the Teatro alla Scala was opened to be hosting more than 3000 spectators and it has become a major attraction for travelers who enjoy their tours in Italy .

Galleria Vittorio Emanuele

The Galleria of Vittorio Emanuele is one of the most remarkable shopping centers in Milan and maybe in the whole world many tourists who travel to Italy enjoy their shopping there everyday.
This marvelously designed structure was constructed in 1867 and designed by Giuseppe Mengoni and it was named after the first king of the kingdom of Italy, Vittorio Emanuele.
The Galleria consists mainly of a passageway with stores situated on both sides and it is covered with colored glass all over forming a magnificent octagonal shaped structure.
The ceiling of the Galleria represents the continents of the world; Asia, Africa, America, and Europe and the floor have some of the most notable mosaic decorations. Away from the numerous stores all over the galleria, there is also the famous drawing of the bull on the ground of the structure that, according to the Milanese legend brings good luck and wealth to those who stand on it.

The Atemosevira of Milan

The Atemosevira of Milan consists of an old tramline and a distinctive mobile restaurant that would take the guests in a tour in the famous streets of Milan. The tram, that offers a delicious dinner, moves at 8 in the evening everyday from Tuesday till Sunday. Custom tours to Italy would be organized to include visiting many interesting sites in Rome, Milan, Venice, and many other Italian cities. The Atemosevira is one of the most romantic places to go to in Milan and it is also suitable for a wonderful family dinner.

The Milan Safari Zoo

The Milan Safari Zoo is among the few places in Europe where the guests can enter with their own cars and move around freely to watch animals In the same style as many African countries like Tanzania and Kenya, the park has a wonderful collection of animals. A ride to the Milan Safari Zoo would be wonderful for all the family members.