DK Travel : Milan and the Lakes : History & Culture

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Francesco Hayez (1707–76)

Born in Venice, Hayez moved to Rome – where he mixed with Ingres and Canova – then Milan, balancing his painting between the Romantic and Neo-Classical ideals of the age. He became director of the Pinacoteca di Brera.
Futurist

Italy’s Cubism was obsessed with the modern world of the early 20th century.
Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II

Before modern shopping centres and malls, there were gallerie . These late 19th-century high-class shopping arcades were roofed by the newest architectural technology of the age: steel-reinforced glass. Milan’s Industrial Age-cumNeo-Classical example connected Piazza del Duomo with La Scala and was so successful it spawned an Italy-wide trend, with copycat gallerie popping up in Naples, Genoa and Rome. (see GalleriaVittorio Emanuele II and Milanese Fashion Boutiques in Milan’s Historic Centre, Other Italian Designer Shops in Milan’s Historic Centre, Other High-Class Shops in Milan’s Historic Centre, Venues, Clubs and Cafés in Milan’s Historic Centre)

Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II
Gian Galeazzo Visconti (1378–1402)

This conqueror of vast territories was the first Milan ruler to gain the title of Duke.
Giulio Romano (1499–1546)

Raphael’s protégé helped finish his master’s commissions after his death, but his fame as a frescoist was soon eclipsed by his architectural technique. Both came to the attention of the Gonzagas in Mantova, who commissioned from him the Palazzo Te and other buildings. Only failing health kept him from returning to Rome to become chief architect of St Peter’s.
Giuseppe Arcimboldo (1527–93)

This Milanese Mannerist was a gimmick artist, but very good at it. He churned out allegorical “portraits” that are actually collages: of flowers, fruit, fish, weapons, animals or even flames.
Gothic

Pointed arches and flying buttresses allowed ceilings to soar in the 13th and 14th centuries. Painting became more expressive and realistic.
I Navigli

A city as grand as Milan needed a port, so the long pool of the Darsena was dug in the 12th century, with the Naviglio Grande – a 50-km/30-mile canal stretching to the Mincio River (and thence the Po to the Adriatic) – leading into it. Today, the Navigli district is Milan’s most lively, bohemian neighbourhood. Its old warehouses now contain fashionable apartments and the towpaths are lined with restaurants, clubs, bars and shops. Its streets teem nightly with foodies out for a fine meal, young folks cruising the bars and street vendors spreading out sheets and rickety tables to form an impromptu bazaar. This is the only part of the city that stays open during the dog days of August.
I Promessi Sposi (The Betrothed)

Written in the 1800s, Alessandro Manzoni’s novel is a window into Lombard life in the 1600s, set in Milan and Manzoni’s Lake Como hometown of Lecco during Spanish rule. It is required reading for all Italian schoolchildren and has been translated into many languages.
Il Bergognone (1480–1523)

With the Renaissance raging all around him, Il Bergognone remained firmly a late Gothic painter, cranking out lovely but staid devotional paintings rooted in the style of his Milanese predecessor Vincenzo Foppa.