milan travel italy

 During its history, Milan had to be rebuilt three times, due to foreign invasion. The first attack came from the Goths in the 600s, when Milan was under Celtic rule. The second attack was by Barbarossa in 1157, and ultimately during World War II, more than one-fourth of Milan was completely flattened. It has been a miracle that many of Milan’s historic treasures are still in existence. 

 Understanding Milan’s layout is easier if viewed as a historic nucleus around the Cathedral. There is a star shaped axis of arteries that spread throughout the modern suburbs to the ring road. Milan’s modern civic centre is in the northwest section of the city, around Mussolini’s central station and is overshadowed by the Pirelli skyscraper, which was one of the very first skyscrapers to be built in Italy. The Fiera district lies to the west around the Porta Genova station and here you will find the trade and fashion fairs taking place. 

 Milan is classified as having a humid subtropical climate, which is a contrast to most of Italy’s cities. Winters in Milan are damp and cold, and summers are very hot and humid. Snowfall happen less and less, while Milan has been known to have up to 15 inches of snowfall each year, during the last two decades there has been a drastic decrease in the snowfall amounts. Humidity is quite high throughout the year. Normally temperatures are around -3 to +6 degrees Celsius during the winter months, and 15 to 28 degrees Celsius during the hot summer months.