My Trip In Italy (Part 1H): Milan - An Overview of Its Culture

In previous articles, I shared my experiences at Milan’s major landmarks and its extensive rail transit system. However, the architecture and trams represent only a part of the city’s wider cultural identity. Today, I plan to delve further into Milanese culture, focusing on its cuisine, high fashion, art, and other recognizable elements.

Cuisine

An important part of my travels is how appetizing the food is, and Italian cuisine certainly didn’t disappoint. Every dish was plated with care and probably used recipes that were passed down across multiple generations (considering Italian cuisine has been developing for centuries). From perfectly-seared juicy T-bone steaks to creamy truffle pasta, I felt like I could devour everything on the menu and still have room for some tiramisu as dessert.

The elaborate dining experience doesn’t just consist of delicious food; the atmosphere is just as important. And interestingly, this experience shifted as I visited different cities. Most restaurants in central Milan use a hybrid approach of both indoor and ‘al fresco dining’, giving customers the option to dine in a semi-enclosed patio next to the bustling street. Initially, I thought dining outdoors wasn’t the brightest idea – there were literally people walking past your table as you ate. But it turns out, I was most mistaken. As I sat at the table, I felt as if I had been transported away from the noisy crowds to a peaceful place, transcending to another dimension where warmth and coziness existed even on the chillest of nights.

However, an important thing to note about restaurants in Milan (and Italy in general) is that those closer to popular tourist attractions are oftentimes not the best. Although this is quite obvious, I personally find it harder to distinguish good Italian restaurants from the rest. This is because the majority of restaurants in Italy not only look the same, but many offer similar menus as well. I discovered that the best way not to be deceived was simply to look them up on the internet. In addition, assessing the number of occupied seats during eating hours is a reliable way to evaluate their popularity and hence quality.

Fashion

Considered the fashion capital of Italy and globally acknowledged as an epicenter for design, Milan is basically heaven for fashion enthusiasts. Many recognizable brands are headquartered in the city, including Prada, Versace, Armani, Miu Miu, and others. But it wasn’t always like this; Milanese fashion was once overshadowed by major cities such as Florence. So what constituted the historical shift that established Milan’s title of ‘fashion capital’?

The city’s rise to fashion fame cannot be attributed to any single event – it was a gradual process that unfolded across many centuries. Starting all the way back in the Middle Ages (a period in Western history ranging approximately from the 5th century to the 15th century), Milan gained a reputation for high-quality manufacturing. As the city became increasingly prosperous under the rule of the Sforza family (who took power in 1450), its textile industry also boomed. As time progressed, Milan became the go-to place for raw textiles. However, there still wasn’t a unique style of fashion associated with the city, and Florentine designers continued to dominate Italian fashion culture during the Renaissance.

That would all change in the 19th century, when the city’s interest in fashion design grew, and Milanese department stores (like La Rinascente, founded by the Bocconi brothers) redefined the shopping experience. Soon, Milan started forming its own identity, with a focus on novel ‘ready-to-wear’ clothing in an era where tailor-made clothes were still popular.

The 20th century gave rise to renowned designers, such as Giorgio Armani, pushing the city’s fashion influence to global prominence. Born in 1934, Armani initially pursued a career in medicine, serving as a military doctor. After his service, Armani worked as a window dresser and salesclerk at La Rinascente before designing menswear for Nino Cerruti and simultaneously freelancing for many other companies. His designs quickly became synonymous with Milanese fashion culture: simple, minimalist, handcrafted, in contrast to a focus on trends in Rome and Florence. Armani’s importance became broadly recognized by the international press after the first Italian fashion show (organized by Giovanni Battista Giorgini) in Pitti Palace in Florence in 1952. Six years later, Milan Fashion Week was founded, which to this day is one of the most reputable fashion events in the world.

A major turn in Italian fashion took place in the 1970s, when previously mentioned affordable ready-to-wear designs dominated the spotlight, leading Milan to officially unseat Florence as the fashion capital of Italy. In 1975, Giorgio Armani founded his now-famous Armani fashion house in Milan, establishing not only a prestigious brand name but also permanently associating the city with world-class design.

For anyone interested in shopping for some of the high fashion brands mentioned above, the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II is a perfect choice. Being Italy’s oldest shopping mall, this four-story double arcade is located in the center of Milan, next to other landmarks such as the Duomo. It is named after the first king of the Kingdom of Italy, Victor Emmanuel II, and was built between 1865 and 1877. Featuring a giant octagonal glass dome approximately 17 meters in height where two glass-vaulted arcades intersect, the Galleria connects the Piazza del Duomo (Milan’s main piazza) to Piazza della Scala (a pedestrian central square of the city). Decorated by elaborate floor mosaics as well as triumphal arch entrances, you can find everything from fashion stores to restaurants to gelato shops inside, as well as additional shopping choices in the surrounding neighborhood. For lovers of fast food, there’s also a McDonald’s and a KFC at one end of the Piazza del Duomo.

Art

Even though most Italian artworks we see in museums today were created during an era of Medieval Art or guided by Renaissance ideals, there are still notable regional distinctions between Milanese artworks and those found in other major Italian cultural hubs.

Throughout its history, famous artworks in Rome were mainly commissioned and funded by papal power, leading to grandeur art such as that found in the Sistine Chapel. Meanwhile in Florence – the center of the Renaissance – artistic values were largely shaped by civic humanism and wealthy merchant families like the Medici, resulting in art that prioritized realism, individual achievement, and classical ideals. However, both cities were mostly affected by religious principles, leading to often idealized forms.

Although Milanese art was undoubtedly more-or-less influenced by religion as well, its artworks focused on a blend of intense naturalism and realism in contrast with Rome and Florence. In Leonardo da Vinci’s The Last Supper, for instance, we can see extremely detailed expressions of each Apostle as they react to Christ’s announcement that one of them will betray him, portraying the complex human emotions in that moment.

Nightlife

After learning all day about Milanese high fashion, obtaining extensive knowledge of Milanese art history, and developing an exquisite taste in Italian cuisine, you realize the sun has already traveled beyond the horizon. For me, that’s typically when I start winding down for the night, perhaps reading a book or two before I go to bed.

But to my surprise, sunset marks the start of another lively evening for the Milanese, with various activities and entertainment available at bars and restaurants. For people (such as myself) who prefer a more relaxing alternative, sipping a refreshing drink and getting a scoop of lemon-flavoured gelato is just as enjoyable.

Conclusion

And that concludes this overview of Milanese culture, as well as this collection of articles dedicated to my experiences in the city. Starting next week, I’m going to share my thoughts on what I personally believe to be an underrated city, Verona.

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