Essentials: Milan

When Milan Became the Fashion Capital

Though Milan is now the capital of fashion, it hasn't always reigned supreme here. Back in the 1950s, runway shows took place in the Renaissance city of Florence. However, Florence's infrastructure couldn't keep up with the crowds, so Fashion Week was moved to Milan in 1958. Its rise to one of the world's most important fashion hubs occurred in the 1970s, thanks to designers Giorgio Armani and Gianni Versace. Armani brought minimalism; Versace brought colorful sex appeal – summed up by the famous saying: "Armani dresses the wife; Versace the mistress."

Marble in Search of Mom and Dad

If owning a pet seems like too much work, you can adopt something far more low-maintenance in Milan: a statue. The Adopt a Statue fundraising campaign is designed to raise money for sculpture preservation. It was launched by the Milan Cathedral in collaboration with the Veneranda Fabbrica, which has overseen the production, installation, and upkeep of the cathedral's decorative elements since 1387. This isn't the first initiative of its kind: about a decade ago, deep-pocketed donors could already adopt one of the cathedral's 96 gargoyles.

A House That's All Ears

On Via Serbelloni stands the Casa Sola-Busca – but almost no one calls it that. To locals, it's Ca' dell'orèggia (House of the Ear). The reason? Next to the door, a bronze ear juts out from the wall. Created in the 1930s by artist Adolfo Wildt, the ear was one of the city's first intercoms, transmitting sound through a system of tubes. While it's no longer used for its original purpose, legend has it that wishes whispered into the ear will come true …

Faster … Higher … Widest Spread!

The Winter Olympics in February 2026, hosted in Milan and Cortina, will be the largest of all time – at least geographically. The venues will be spread across 22,000 square kilometers, covering the regions of Lombardy, Veneto, and Trentino-Alto Adige.

Verdi, Milan's Unrecognized Genius

It's hard to believe, but Italy's most famous opera composer, Giuseppe Verdi, was rejected outright when he applied to the Milan Conservatory in 1832. They gave a scathing verdict on the future creator of masterpieces like "Aida", "Nabucco", and "Rigoletto": "musical inadequacy" and "a flawed hand position with no possibility of correction" at the piano. One can imagine Verdi's satisfaction when, shortly before his death, the conservatory was renamed in his honor. To this day, it proudly bears the name Conservatorio Giuseppe Verdi.