So once again, I find myself on a late Wednesday night; early Thursday morning completing a blog post for noon. Needless to say its been yet another busy week with classes, research, and other events. This can really be expected for the last few weeks of the semester. With that being said, this may be the last log post before I make my way across the ocean.

Hopefully my flight is a little more comfortable than it was for these passengers.

So for this post, I think it’s probably best to look into some of the current trends that can be found in Milan along with its status within both the European Union and the world for that matter.

As a reminder from one of the first blog posts, Milan is the second largest city in Italy with a population of just over 4 million. Milan is also the capital of the Lombardy region and is the center of both industry and finance for all of Italy; hosting the Borsa Italiana or Italian stock exchange. (Milan, n.d.)

In regards to finance and the economy, Milan had a GDP of $132.5 billion in 2010 and the region of Lombardy contributed to 20% of the total GDP of Italy. Three Fortune 500 companies have even developed out of the heart of Milan. A large portion of this industry has developed in telecommunications and fashion as it has traditionally. However, significant strides have also been made in the automotive industry with the presence of Alfa Romeo and Pirelli.

Image of an Alfa Romeo

Pirelli Tires

Banking is still a significant portion of Milan as well in that there are 198 banking groups within the city. (EVENTI IN CITTA’ SCELTI PER VOI)

As stated previously, Milan is known to be very cultured in regards to the performing arts and music while also hosting a sports atmosphere with two world-famous football clubs; AC Milan and FC Internazionale Milano. As you travel throughout the city as well you can see that the rich history of the metropolis is kept alive while still progressing into the future with modern day structures and buildings. Education is also a significant aspect of the city with two prominent universities; Politecnico di Milano and the University of Milan. (Milan Wikipedia, n.d.)

Politecnico di Milano

University of Milan

With the large geographic size of Milan , it make sense that there is an extensive networks of transportation systems and hubs. There are three international airports, the Milan Metro, the Aziendi Transporti Milanesi (ATM) and the Milan Central Station. With all of these networks there is the option of getting from point A to point B by plane, train, automobile, and even trolley, tram, or bus. (Milan Italy, n.d.)

Milan Metro

ATM

Milan Central Station

In terms of the actual atmosphere of Milan, it was quite hard to find sources that gave any insight into this. However, I have talked to several students that have traveled to Milan and received a number of different perspectives. One student said it was one of the best cities he ever visited and he hopes to return some day. Another student said that it was a waste of time and that it was filled with just a bunch of stuck-up fashion models and business men. My hope is that Milan will truly be worth the visit and I have a strong feeling that it absolutely will. My reasoning for this is that I have taken the time throughout the semester to sit down and do some decent research regarding the city and I now have an understanding of the environment before diving right into it. I know where the true beauty lies in this metropolis and what I will find of value and interest. At this point I’m just looking forward to taking the trip and experiencing Milan in real life.

Works Cited

About Milan, your tourist guide to Milan, Italy. (n.d.). Sports in Milan: football, basketball, Grand Prix…. Retrieved April 9, 2014, from http://www.aboutmilan.com/sports-in-milan.html

“EVENTI IN CITTA’ SCELTI PER VOI.” Comune di Milano. N.p., n.d. Web. 6 Feb. 2014. <http://www.comune.milano.it/portale/wps/portal/CDMHome>.

“Milan Italy.” Tourist Information and Travel Guide. N.p., n.d. Web. 6 Feb. 2014. <http://milanitaly.ca/>.

Milan. (2014, February 4). Wikipedia. Retrieved April 2, 2014, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milan

Good evening everyone! Due to a very busy week, this passage will be written by moonlight. So throughout the past blog posts, there have been the discussions of architecture, history, and other topics that have molded Milan into the entity that it is today. To follow up on that, it seems as though an appropriate blog discussion would be the culture that can be found within this city. Some of the aspects that I found to be interesting and definitely worth discussing are art, music, religion, sports, and literature.

Just a note; if there is time left in the semester, I may dive into some other aspects as well such as food, literature, and design; (food honestly could turn into an entire blog post just on its own).

Alright, without further adieu, let’s start out with art. Milan is known very well for its museums and art galleries for a number of reasons. The first is simply that there are so many of them. Some of the more prominent institutions include Castello Sforzesco, Brera Gallery, the Leonardo da Vinci Science and Technology Museum, Pinacoteca and Biblioteca Ambrosiana, and Palazzo Reale.

Leonardo da Vinci Science and Technology Museum

Pinacoteca

Biblioteca Ambrosiana

Each of these has its own specific exhibits and pieces with a particular focus of interest. The other reason for the multitude of museums and galleries is simply the background of the city with its rich history of artists such as Leonardo da Vinci, Piero della Francesca, Michelangelo, and Andrea Mantegna to name a few. (Top Museums in Milan, n.d.) Lastly,  Milan is not just known for its art within the times of the Renaissance, but also art within the context of the Gothic, Baroque, Romantic, and Contemporary times and styles. In fact, Milan has two institutions; Padiglione Arte Contemporanea and Civico Museo Arte Contemporanea that display the latest exhibits in regards to modern art within Milan. (Tourist Guide to Milan, n.d.)

Padiglione Arte Contemporanea

Civico Museo Arte Contemporanea

In terms of music, Milan serves as a hub for the performing arts throughout the world. The most prominent style of music supported and produced by Milan is opera. La Scala Opera House resides within Milan and has hosted famous performances such as Nabucco by Giuseppe  Verdi.

La Scala Opera House

Milan also has a famous symphony orchestra and a musical conservatory to its name. Milan has turned out some smaller contemporary groups as well. (The Scala Opera House Milan, n.d.)

In terms of religion, most of Milan’s population is Catholic due to its extensive history of Catholicism (take a note back on the blog discussion of the Milan Cathedral). However there are other religions practiced in the city as well such as Buddhism, Judaism, the Muslim religion, and Protestantism. (Religion, n.d.)

In regards to sports, most of Milan’s attention is focused towards football which we would consider soccer. In fact, Milan sponsors two famous football clubs; AC Milan and FC Internazionale Milano. These two teams have been very successful, winning ten champion league titles which is more than any other city in Europe. (About Milan, n.d.)

AC Milan

FC Internazionale Milano

Works Cited

About Milan, your tourist guide to Milan, Italy. (n.d.). Sports in Milan: football, basketball, Grand Prix…. Retrieved April 9, 2014, from http://www.aboutmilan.com/sports-in-milan.html

About Milan, your tourist guide to Milan, Italy. (n.d.). Art and Culture of Milan: from the past to the contemporary. Retrieved April 9, 2014, from http://www.aboutmilan.com/art-and-culture-of-milan.html

Religion. (n.d.). in Italy. Retrieved April 9, 2014, from http://www.seeitalia.com/essentials/religion/

The Scala Opera House Milan. (n.d.). La Scala Opera House in Milan, Itay. Retrieved April 9, 2014, from http://www.milano24ore.net/Scala_Opera_House_Milan/index.php

Top Museums in Milan. (n.d.). Italy Travel. Retrieved April 9, 2014, from http://goitaly.about.com/od/milanitalytravel/tp/milan-museums.htm

Hello everyone! I hope you enjoyed reading about the Milan Cathedral last week. One of the take away messages from that blog post was simply that the Cathedral incorporated many different styles of architecture over the course of its construction, mainly due to the influential backgrounds of the various architects and designers that were part of the project. On a related note, I thought it would be relevant to discuss architecture in general, in relation to the the city of Milan.

As you travel throughout this great city, you will come to find that it is not just a metropolis, but a collection of buildings throughout the existence of its lifetime. Yes, there are a vast number of current-day structures to serve the city’s needs and functions, but there is also a rich history of structures that are found throughout the geographic area to tell a story of the city’s past. The Cathedral is obviously one of these structures and serves as the center of the city. However, there are others to consider and make note of as well. (Architecture and Monuments, n.d.)

The Castello Sforzesco or the Sforza Castle is interesting in that it had similar historical parallels with the Milan Cathedral. It was originally constructed in the 14th century by the Visconti family, was enlarged to an actual castle by the 15th century, and then throughout this time frame was heavily restored, re-designed, and re-decorated. By the time of the sixteenth century, it was heavily damaged due to fighting with neighboring nations, and under Spanish rule the design was totally re-done again to re-purpose the castle for fortification; making it a citadel. Luca Beltrami then altered the structure again one final time, and it now holds several museums and art collections. Once again, it can be seen that design, construction, and purpose change with the ever-changing needs of both the times and the individuals in power. (The Official Castello Sforzesco Website, n.d.)

Additional famous structures within Milan include the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele,

Palazzo Reale, and

Arco della Pace (Arch of Peace)

There are numerous structures built within the older historical context of Milan, and if time permits, I will come back to this subject and discuss additional ones. Jumping to post WWII, the economy of the city jumped and development took off rather quickly which resulted in the demand for new structures and new designs. One famous structure that symbolizes this time frame is the Velasca Tower shown below.  (Torre Velasca, n.d.)

The 1950’s; 1960’s design style can be seen quite obviously. According to a recent article, a share of the city has actually de-industrialized due to a shift in the Milan economy and therefore has resulted in the design and construction of additional residential and commercial buildings as well as urban green spaces. One of the future buildings in the stages of design is the Hadid Tower as shown below in a manufactured graphic. (Zaha Hadid Architects, n.d.)

Works Cited

Architecture and Monuments. (n.d.). Milan is Tourism. Retrieved April 3, 2014, from http://www.turismo.milano.it/wps/portal/?WCM_GLOBAL_CONTEXT=en/situr/home/artecultura/architettura

Milan. (2014, February 4). Wikipedia. Retrieved April 2, 2014, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milan

The Official Castello Sforzesco Website. (n.d.). The Official Castello Sforzesco Website. Retrieved April 2, 2014, from http://www.milanocastello.it/ing/menuStoriaLunga.html

Torre Velasca. (n.d.). Milan is Tourism. Retrieved April 3, 2014, from http://www.turismo.milano.it/wps/portal/!ut/p/c0/04_SB8K8xLLM9MSSzPy8xBz9CP0os3hzS0O_QGcLEwP_ICNTA08D_2APT1dHYwMDE_2CbEdFAOVQJaw!/?WCM_GLOBAL_CONTEXT=en/SITur/HOME/artecultura/architettura/loc230

Zaha Hadid Architects. (n.d.). Zaha Hadid Architects CityLife Milano Comments. Retrieved April 2, 2014, from http://www.zaha-hadid.com/architecture/citylife-milano/

Welcome back everyone! The past two weeks have been rather busy in regards to both Spring Break and PLANET (Professional Land Care Network) Student Career Days held this year in Fort Collins Colorado. Needless to say it was an unbelievable experience, especially in regards to the skiing.

For this week, I though it would be best to discuss a fairly straightforward topic to get back into the blog writing routine. Therefore, this week’s discussion will be based on the Milan Cathedral.

The Milan Cathedral, also known as the Duomo, serves at the center of the city of Milan. The remaining aspects of the city; streets, buildings and other structures radiate and encircle this central location to form the city. This cathedral is the fifth largest cathedral in the world and took over six centuries to complete.

(Milan Cathedral, n.d.)

The construction of the Milan cathedral began in 1386 with the orders from Archbishop Antonio da Saluzzo.  At that point, Milan was ruled under the Visconti family; specifically Gian Galeazzo. He specifically wanted to build the world’s largest and greatest church, so the execution at first was done with great ambition and motive. Gian Galeazzo even gave free access to marble quarries, provided tax exemptions, and recruited the best architects in Europe to become involved with this project. Nicolas de Bonaventure was one of these individuals and introduced a very strong French architectural design element. This served as the predominant basis of the structure and utilized a great amount of marble.

Jean Mignot also was introduced to the project and made his own contributions in the improvements of machinery and techniques for lifting stones and other building materials to unprecedented heights. By 1402, about half of the cathedral was complete, and Mignot had passed away. This stalled construction until almost 1480.  (Milan Cathedral 2 n.d.)

From 1500-1510 construction started back up with the ruling of Ludovico Sforza. These years allowed for the completion of both the cupola and the interior decorations. At this point the cathedral was considered usable, but not actually finished.  (Milan Cathedral 2 n.d.)

Charles Borromeo ascended to the archbishop’s throne and appointed Pelligrino Pellegrini as head engineer. This made a significant change in the overall design of the Cathedral by subduing the strong Gothic appearance and introducing a style that was more representative of the Renaissance era. However, in the 17th century, more Gothic style elements; mostly facades were introduced again by Francesco Maria Richini and Fabio Mangone. The spire was then completed in 1762. (Milan Cathedral, n.d.)

Under the rule of Napoleon, the Cathedral was mostly completed, mainly so he had a place to be crowned as King of Italy. As the years passed, the last details, such as replacing the windows, and adding several arches were executed and completed making for a final completion date of January 6th, 1965.  (The Duomo of Milan, n.d.)

The Cathedral is one of the most visited sites in Milan and currently holds the seat of the Archbishop; Cardinal Angelo Scola.

(The Duomo of Milan, n.d.)

Works Cited:

Milan Cathedral. (n.d.). Milan Cathedral. Retrieved March 26, 2014, from http://www.aviewoncities.com/milan/duomo.htm

Milan Cathedral. (2014, March 24). Wikipedia. Retrieved March 26, 2014, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milan_Cathedral

The Duomo of Milan. (n.d.). Duomo of Milan. Retrieved March 26, 2014, from http://www.milanocard.it/terraces_of_Duomo.html

 

So as stated earlier, Milan is one of the largest cities in the European Union and therefore it may be easy to overlook the fact that there is in fact greenery and green spaces integrated into this metropolis. The network of green spaces within Milan is quite extensive and includes 54 parks spread throughout an area of 14,681,400 meters². Twenty-one of these parks are actually quite large and serve as more than just greenery. These parks incorporate cycle paths, sporting fields, exercise courses, and even sophisticated statuary work. (About Milan, n.d.) After searching through articles, I came upon one that lists nine different parks/green spaces that are worth visiting, and I thought it would be interesting to share what these parks are all about and show some images as well.

Parco Sempione

Parco Sempione was designed by architect Emilio Alemagna and established in 1888. The design of the park was established with a focus on creating panoramic views of both the Sforza Castle and the Arch of Peace. This is listed as one of the most popular parks to visit in Milan. The reason for this is that it is one of the largest parks in the city and located right next to Castello Sforzesco. (Spiegel J, n.d.) Other features of this park include trees, ponds, playgrounds, a sporting arena, and even an aquarium. One other added bonus to this park is that it has free wifi as discussed in a travel article. (Parks and Gardens, n.d.)

Giardini Pubblici

This is the second largest park in Milan and directly translates to Public Gardens. This was Milan’s first communal park and is located right near Central Station. Also within the vicinity of this park are the Museum of Natural History and a Planetarium. (Parks and Gardens, n.d.)

Parco delle Basiliche

This park is located in the southern region of Milan and directly translates to “Park of the Basilicas”. The reason for this is that the park does include two basilicas (Basilica di Sant’Eustorgio and the Basilica of San Lorenzo Maggiore) placed at opposite ends with greenery that connects the two together. (Spiegel J, n.d.)

Giardino della Guastalla

Giardino della Guastalla is Milan’s oldest park and began as a private garden in 1555. In 1939 it became public and features a fish pond as well as a series of paths, plant material, and scenery. (Spiegel J, n.d.)

Parco Solari

This park is one of the smaller ones located within Milan, but is very unique in that it has a covered swimming pool. (Beat the heat, n.d.)

Parco Baravalle

This park is within close proximity of Bocconi University. (Spiegel J, n.d.)

Parco Ravizza

Parco Ravizza is yet another small park located near Bocconi University. (Spiegel J, n.d.)

Parco Formentano

Parco Formentano is located in the Eastern part of Milan and is larger than the previous two parks. It is also more extensive in the regards that is has bocce courts, sports courts, fountains, and other recreational elements. (Spiegel J, n.d.)

Parco Guido Vergani & Giardino Valentino Bompiani

These parks are connected together and serve as a narrow stretch of greenway. The most featured potion of these two parks are the walking paths. (Spiegel J, n.d.)

 

 

Works Cited

About Milan, your tourist guide to Milan, Italy. (n.d.). Gardens and Parks in Milan. Retrieved March 5, 2014, from http://www.aboutmilan.com/gardens-and-parks-in-milan.html

Beat the Heat: Escape to the Best City Parks in Florence, Rome, and Milan. (n.d.). Walks of Italy The Travel Blog. Retrieved March 5, 2014, from http://www.walksofitaly.com/blog/florence/best-city-parks-in-italy-florence-milan-rome

Parks and Gardens. (n.d.). Milan is Tourism. Retrieved March 5, 2014, from http://www.tourism.milan.it/wps/portal/?WCM_GLOBAL_CONTEXT=en/situr/home/milanodintorni/parchigiardini

Spiegel, J. (n.d.). Parks In Milan: Green Space Roundup. ITALIAN FIX RSS. Retrieved March 5, 2014, from http://www.italianfix.com/parks-milan/

This post will be dedicated to Leonardo da Vinci and specifically his life in Milan which was 1482-1499. But first off, a little background information about Leonardo is necessary. His full name is Leonardo di ser Piero do Vinci, and Vinci refers to the area where he was born (the town of Vinci located within the region of Florence). His parents were ordinary people; his father Piero da Vinci was a notary and his mother Caterina was a peasant. Leonardo started his life in Vinci, and in addition to working in Milan, he spent parts of his life in Rome, Bologna, Venice, and his last years in France. (Leonardo da Vinci)

Throughout his life, Leonardo embraced the spirit of the Renaissance and pursued as well as pioneered various aspects of art, architecture, science, engineering, music, writing, mathematics, and many other fields as well. This is how he received the title of the original “Renaissance Man”. Some of his most famous works include designs for flying machines, tanks, musical instruments, and machinery, while other drawings, still being referred to today by medical experts, include rendered images of the human anatomy such as the skeletal structure with the related muscle groups. He produced these by secretly conducting anatomical studies on human bodies without the knowledge of the public. (Capra, 2007)

 

Another more well-known aspect of Leonardo da Vinci’s career was painting. Some of his most famous works include The Mona Lisa, The Last Supper, Vitruvian Man, Virgin of the Rocks, The Baptisim of Christ, and The Virgin and Child. These paintings are known not only for their detail, but for the realism and the use of perspective to bring the work to life. His writing is interesting as well in the fact that the majority of his notes are written backwards; often referred to as mirror writing. There are several speculations as to why Leonardo wrote like this. Many think it was simply to prevent others from stealing his original ideas. Other experts believe that it may have been to hide his ideas from the Catholic Church, which may have been at odds. Lastly, some believe it was simply that he was left handed and he did this to avoid smearing the ink. (Museum of Science, Boston, n.d.)

As stated in the last post, Leonardo da Vinci was present in Milan and served on the court of Ludovico Sforza. While under the employment of Ludovico, he completed the paintings, The Last Supper and the Virgin of the Rocks. The Last Supper was painted specifically for the monastery of Santa Maria della Grazie. With these paintings, Leonardo da Vinci also worked on festival floats and designs for the dome of the Milan Cathedral. However, one of his most substantial works was the casting of a bronze horse statue that required over 70 tons of material. This was in honor of Francesco Sforza, but the project was delayed due to the fact that the bronze was needed for cannons in defense of Charles VIII. This led to the Second Italian War with French troops invading Milan. Ultimately, Leonardo da Vinci left Milan and traveled to Venice. I’ll pick up from here next time around. (Leonardo da Vinci, complete works, n.d.)

Works Cited

Capra, F. (2007). The science of Leonardo: inside the mind of the great genius of the Renaissance. New York: Doubleday.

Leonardo Da Vinci – The complete works. (n.d.). Leonardo Da Vinci – The complete works. Retrieved February 24, 2014, from http://www.leonardoda-vinci.org/

Leonardo da Vinci. (2014, February 26). Wikipedia. Retrieved February 26, 2014, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leonardo_da_Vinci

Museum of Science, Boston. (n.d.). Leonardo: Right to Left. Retrieved February 26, 2014, from http://legacy.mos.org/sln/leonardo/leonardorighttoleft.html

At the last post, I left off at the history of Milan right at the beginning of the Renaissance.  The Francesco Sforza family was under rule during this time frame and brought peace to Milan after they had been in war with Venice and Florence. In addition to peace, he also built up the city and gave the orders for constructing both the Castle and Duomo. The city developed significantly both in terms of structure and industry, but also through agriculture. Ludovico Sforza spearheaded specifically the development of silk production. (About Milan, n.d.)

Art and culture also thrived throughout Milan during the time of the Renaissance and Ludovico Sforza encouraged this by placing Donato Bramante and Leonardo da Vinci to his court. Further detail will be given about this later in the blog. (Milan, n.d.)

Due to the growth and prosperity of Milan, the city became coveted by neighboring rulers, specifically the French and Spanish.  Francesco Sforza ruled under the authority of the Holy Roman Emperor, specifically Charles V at the time. When Francesco passed away in 1535, Charles V assumed the rule of Milan. This brought forth 170 years of Spanish oppression until Austrian domination took over in the early 18th century. The Hapsburg family made great improvements to the city of Milan in terms of art, culture, science, and economics. (Finardi M., 1986)

In 1796, Napoleon marched into the city of Milan and was actually received fairly well by the people, due to the fact that they saw potential democratic reform. However, this was short lived given that Napoleon’s power fell in 1814. The Congress of Vienna tried to restore Austrian rule, but this was not welcomed by the people of Milan.  In fact, the Austrians were actually run out of the city in 1859 and became part of the Kingdom of Italy. (About Milan, n.d.)

At this point in history, Milan was considered to be independent and the capital of Italy. For this, celebration took place, and buildings were constructed in light of the victory; these included Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, the San Vittore prison, the Cimitero Monumentale and the San Gottardo tunnel. (Milan, n.d.)

Throughout WW1, fascism and socialism did have a presence throughout Milan resulting in conflicts during this time frame. Then throughout WW2, Milan was basically destroyed. After the war, the region of Lombardy began to thrive and lifted up Milan as well. The post-war time frame is what pushed Milan into its rapid development and drove it to its current thriving state. (Finardi M., 1986)

Works Cited

About Milan, your tourist guide to Milan, Italy. (n.d.). History of Milan. Retrieved February 13, 2014, from http://www.aboutmilan.com/history-of-milan.html

Finardi, M. (1986). A Key to Milan (2nd ed.). Milano: Arcadia.

Milan. (n.d.). Infoplease. Retrieved February 13, 2014, from http://www.infoplease.com/encyclopedia/world/milan-city-italy-history.html

After some review of the history that comes with the development of Milan, it quickly came to me that this subject deserves two blog posts. For this blog, I will discuss the history of Milan prior to the Renaissance.

The ancient history of Milan is not exactly clear, but the general consensus of most historians is that Celtic peoples settled the geographic area of what today is considered Milan around the year 400 B.C. It’s not until the year 222 B.C. when the history becomes clearer due to the conquering of this area by the Romans. It was named Mediolanum and served as the capital of the Western Roman Empire. Throughout this time frame, there was a great amount of war and turmoil from neighboring tribes and peoples. Mediolanum had been attacked by the Visigoths, the Huns, the Ostrogoths, the Franks, Lombards, and several other tribes as well.  Also within these years, Constantine gave religious freedom to Christians in 313 AD. By 774 AD, Charlemagne took the title of King and made Milan part of the Holy Roman Empire. (About Milan, n.d.)

The Holy Roman Empire then began to decline, and as the Middle Ages progressed, Milan gained independence through fighting against the Germanic emperors. This resulted in a movement known as the Comuni, which spread throughout a good share of Northern Italy.  In 1262, Ottone Visconti was appointed archbishop of Milan by Pope Urban the IV over Della Torre. This resulted in unrest and ultimately accusations between the two. Civil war broke out along with political factions for all of Milan and lasted for almost a decade. The Visconti ultimately won over, ruling until the 1400s and ousted Della Torre. (Milan, n.d.)

The Visconti refers to a powerful family which brought both political and cultural supremacy to Milan. Throughout their rule, construction for both the Duomo and Castle was initiated. Visconti rule ended with Francesco Sforza; the son-in-law of the last Visconti Duke and captain of the Milanese army. He used the army to take control of the city and throughout his rule; he heavily promoted the Renaissance movement. (Finardi M., n.d.)

Here is a painting of Francesco;

Works Cited

About Milan, your tourist guide to Milan, Italy. (n.d.). History of Milan. Retrieved February 13, 2014, from http://www.aboutmilan.com/history-of-milan.html

Finardi, M. (1986). A Key to Milan (2nd ed.). Milano: Arcadia.

Milan. (n.d.). Infoplease. Retrieved February 13, 2014, from http://www.infoplease.com/encyclopedia/world/milan-city-italy-history.html

To begin this blog, I thought it would be meaningful to paint a general picture of Milan. Milan, or Milano, is the second largest city in Italy and is located in the northern region of Lombardy. The population is just over 1.3 million giving it one of the highest densities in the European Union. Along with this high population density comes high industrial and commercial density as well. Milan is considered a leading global city from the presence of its national banks and companies. (EVENTI IN CITTA, n.d.)

Here is an image of the city’s skyline:

Due to Milan’s economic contributions, Italy has exceeded the per capita income of Great Britain. One of the more prevalent industries, and famous for that matter within the region is fashion. Some of the brand name producers within Milan include Prada, Armani, and D&G to name a few. (Milan Italy, n.d.)

Along with being a global city, Milan has also managed to preserve its rich history and cultural heritage. One of the most famous structures within Milan is the Cathedral or Duomo which was completed just at the end of medieval times.

Milan was one of the leading cities in the Italian Renaissance as well. Leonardo da Vinci lived and worked in Milan from 1482 to 1499; making his own contributions to the movement. (Milan Italy, n.d.)

Milan today is a thriving city, a popular tourist site for those traveling throughout Italy, and a destination I look forward to visiting within the next few months.

Stay tuned next week for a history lesson Of Milan telling the story of how this great city has become what it is today.

Works Cited

“EVENTI IN CITTA’ SCELTI PER VOI.” Comune di Milano. N.p., n.d. Web. 6 Feb. 2014. <http://www.comune.milano.it/portale/wps/portal/CDMHome>.

“Milan Italy.” Tourist Information and Travel Guide. N.p., n.d. Web. 6 Feb. 2014. <http://milanitaly.ca/>.

So a little background information may be necessary for this blog to make some sense.

First off, my name is Jon Gumble and I am attending my first year of  graduate school in the plant science department at Penn State University. I completed my undergraduate studies here as well in landscape contracting. Through the landscape contracting program I was able to partake in the Horticulture 499 Class back in 2012. This class was a short term study abroad course which allowed students to study a particular country (Ireland back in 2012), and then actually visit and travel throughout the areas of study for over a week after the end of the spring semester. I can honestly say it was one of the best trips I have ever taken in my life and it provided me with an unbelievable learning experience in both travel and the understanding of other cultures. If you’d like to see an overview of my trip, visit my additional blog at

http://ireland2012shortcourse.blogspot.com/2012_05_01_archive.html

Now that I am a graduate student and  a co-founder of a start-up business, I find myself spending a great amount of time and energy working within those two realms and not really finding time to explore and travel. By being a graduate student though, I do have the opportunity to take the Horticulture 499 Class again and build it into my curriculum.

This year’s class is structured in very much the same way it was in 2012; spend the spring semester reviewing various aspects, areas, cultures, and the history of a particular country, and once the semester ends, travel to that country and experience what has been studied. In addition to these two aspects, independent study and research is completed on an individual basis as well in a particular subject area that relates to the travel. I decided to study the landscapes and gardens of Ireland and the various aspects of this subject. The difference this year, however, is that the class is not traveling to Ireland; instead it will be taking flight to Northern Italy and experiencing the gardens, villas, and landscapes of the region.

Travel will take place May 13-22, and within that time frame we will be visiting Milan, Lake Maggiore, Stresa, Lake Como, Lenno, Menaggio, Venice, and other areas within close proximity as well.

With that being said, I will be completing research on an area of interest that will relate to this trip, and I will be utilizing this blog as a means for sharing all of this.

When I was originally told that this class would be traveling to Northern Italy, I first thought of completing a blog on the life of Leonardo da Vinci; specifically his time lived in Northern Italy. However, after completing some preliminary research, I discovered that a significant percentage of his life was actually spent outside of this region, making this not a relevant topic. I did find that Leonardo da Vinci spent 1482-1499 in the city of Milan, where he completed some of his more significant works such as “The Last Supper”. Although this is relevant, and could serve as a single topic within the entirety of the blog, it could not serve as the entire blog itself. As I began to research Milan, it became clear that there was an abundance of information regarding the city and its rich culture, as well as its history. I found it to be truly fascinating, and I honestly just want to learn more about the city. By having Milan as my topic of interest, I can also look into portions of my original topic of Leonardo da Vinci as well.

Therefore I will be focusing my independent research on the city of Milan, and I will break down the blog into the following posts:

-General Overview of the City

-The History of Milan

-Leonardo da Vinci’s presence

-Parks and Landscapes

-Architecture

-Milan Cathedral

-Culture

-Current Trends and Status

The majority of these subject topics will be covered weekly, while some will be broken down into sub-topics and spread to cover the remaining weeks of the semester.

Until next week; Arrivederci!