Milan and Bethlehem

Country: Italy
Date of Agreement:7 May 2000
Name of Mayor: Gabreille Albertini
Tel:0039 02 860202
Fax: 0039 02 7203935
Address: Palazzo Marino, Pizzdella Scla, 2, 20121 Milano

Milan (Italian Milano; ancient Mediolanum), is a city, in northern Italy. It is the capital of Milano Province and of Lombardy Region. The second largest Italian city in population (after Rome), it is a leading commercial, financial, and manufacturing center of Italy and a major center of intellectual and artistic life. Milan is mainly a modern city, surrounded by industrial suburbs. It has many tall apartment and office buildings in the business district and extensive residential and industrial sections. A subway system was opened in 1964. The principal square is

the Piazza del Duomo, at one end of which stands the Duomo, or cathedral, a huge Gothic structure of white marble, begun in 1386 and completed in 1965. To the southwest of the Piazza del Duomo is the Basilica di Sant'Ambrogio (AD 386). Near the basilica is the 15th-century Church of Santa Maria delle Grazie. Adjacent to the church is a former Dominican monastery, in the refectory of which is the famous fresco Last Supper by Leonardo da Vinci.

Cultural Institutions: Among institutions devoted to culture in Milan is the 17th-century Palazzo di Brera, which houses the Brera Academy of Fine Arts, a library, and the Brera Art Gallery. The Palazzo dell'Ambrosiana houses the Biblioteca Ambrosiana, which was opened in 1609 and was perhaps the first public library in Europe. Milan also has excellent museums of art, historical events, and natural history; the Institute for the Study of International Politics, the world-famous Teatro alla Scala opera house, a noted conservatory of music, and several universities.

Commerce and Manufacturing :Milan leads Italian cities in the manufacture of chemicals and textiles. Other important products include aircraft, automobiles, foodstuffs, clothing, glass, leather and rubber goods, machinery, pharmaceuticals, and plastics. The city has a large book and music publishing industry, many banks, and the principal stock exchange of Italy. An international trade fair is held annually in Milan in April.

History: In 1450 the Italian soldier Francesco Sforza seized power and founded a line that remained firmly in control of Milan until 1500, when the city was conquered by France. The Sforzas continued to rule as puppets of successive foreign invaders, including the French, the Swiss, and the Austrians. The Sforza line died out in 1535, and soon thereafter Milan came under the rule of Spain. Spain ruled until 1713, when the city was ceded to Austria by the terms of the Peace of Utrecht. Napoleon ousted the Austrians in 1796 and made Milan the capital of the Cisalpine Republic.

Restored to Austria in 1815, Milan became a center of Italian patriotic resistance, and in 1848 it briefly expelled the Austrians. In 1859, the Italians, aided by the French, freed Milan from Austrian control. In 1861 Milan joined the kingdom of Italy and subsequently prospered. During World War II it was heavily bombed. In the postwar period Milan experienced great commercial expansion and urban renewal.