Five Days of Milan

Milan (, US also , Milanese: [miˈlãː] (listen); Italian: Milano [miˈlaːno] (listen)) is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lombardy, and the second-most populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of about 1.4 million, while its metropolitan city has 3.26 million inhabitants. Its continuously built-up urban area, that stretches well beyond the boundaries of the administrative metropolitan city and into Switzerland, is the fourth largest in the EU with 5.27 million inhabitants. According to national sources, the population within the wider Milan metropolitan area (also known as Greater Milan), is estimated between 8.2 million and 12.5 million making it by far the largest metropolitan area in Italy and one of the largest in the EU.Milan is considered a leading alpha global city, with strengths in the fields of art, commerce, design, education, entertainment, fashion, finance, healthcare, media, services, research and tourism. Its business district hosts Italy's stock exchange (Italian: Borsa Italiana), and the headquarters of national and international banks and companies. In terms of GDP, Milan is the wealthiest city in Italy, has the third-largest economy among EU cities after Paris and Madrid, and is the wealthiest among EU non-capital cities. Milan is viewed along with Turin as the southernmost part of the Blue Banana urban development corridor (also known as the "European Megalopolis"), and one of the Four Motors for Europe. The city's role as a major political centre dates back to the late antiquity, when it served as the capital of the Western Roman Empire, while from the 12th century until the 16th century, Milan was one of the largest European cities, and a major trade and commercial centre, consequently becoming the capital of the Duchy of Milan, which was one of the greatest political, artistic and fashion forces in the Renaissance. Despite losing much of its political and cultural importance in the early modern period, the city regained its status as a major economic and political centre, being considered today as the industrial and financial capital of Italy.The city has been recognized as one of the world's four fashion capitals (the others being London, New York, and Paris) thanks to several international events and fairs, including Milan Fashion Week and the Milan Furniture Fair, which are among the world's biggest in terms of revenue, visitors and growth. It hosted the Universal Exposition in 1906 and 2015. The city hosts numerous cultural institutions, academies and universities, with 11% of the national total of enrolled students. Milan received 10 million visitors in 2018, with the largest numbers of foreign visitors coming from China, United States, France and Germany. The tourists are attracted by Milan's museums and art galleries that include some of the most important collections in the world, including major works by Leonardo da Vinci. The city is served by many luxury hotels and is the fifth-most starred in the world by Michelin Guide. Milan is also home to two of Europe's most successful football teams, A.C. Milan and Inter Milan, and one of Europe's main basketball teams, Olimpia Milano. Milan will host the Olympic and Paralympic games for the first time in 2026, together with Cortina d'Ampezzo.

The 1926 UCI Road World Championships was the sixth edition of the UCI Road World Championships. The championship took place in Milan, Italy on Thursday 29 July 1926 and consisted of 1 race for amateur cyclists. In the same period, the 1926 UCI Track Cycling World Championships was organized in the Velódromo Sempione in Milan and in the Motovelodromo di Corso Casale in Turin.

The monument to Leonardo da Vinci is a commemorative sculptural group placed in Milan's Piazza della Scala and unveiled in 1872. On the top is a statue of Leonardo da Vinci while the base depicts four of his pupils as full-length figures, Giovanni Antonio Boltraffio, Marco d'Oggiono, Cesare da Sesto, and Gian Giacomo Caprotti (under the name Andrea Salaino). The monument was made by sculptor Pietro Magni starting in 1858; due to Milan's transition from the Lombardo-Venetian Kingdom to the Kingdom of Sardinia first and then to the Kingdom of Italy, funding for its construction had problems and delays. After its inauguration it received much negative criticism because of the choice of the place where it was placed and because it was considered a legacy of the Austrian administration.

Piazza della Scala is a pedestrian central square of Milan, Italy, connected to the main square of Milan, Piazza del Duomo, by the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II passage. It is named after the renowned Teatro alla Scala opera house, which occupies the north-western side of the square; the building actually includes both the opera house and the Museo Teatrale alla Scala (La Scala Museum), dedicated to the history of La Scala and opera in general. On the opposite side to "La Scala", to the south-east, is the facade of Palazzo Marino, Milan's city hall. Another relevant building on the square, on the north-eastern side, is the Palazzo della Banca Commerciale Italiana. The south-western side of the square has the entry to the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele as well as Palazzo Beltrami. Most of the architecture of the square is due to architect Luca Beltrami, who designed the eponymous palace, the facade of Palazzo Marino, and the Banca Commerciale Italiana building. The centre of the square is marked by the monument of Leonardo da Vinci by sculptor Pietro Magni (1872).

Leonardo3 is an interactive museum and exhibition center at Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, Piazza della Scala, Milano, Italy. The museum was inaugurated in 2013, and is devoted to Italy’s notable personality Leonardo da Vinci, who is portrayed both as an artist and inventor.

La Scala Theatre Ballet School (Italian: Scuola di Ballo del Teatro alla Scala) is one of the leading classical ballet schools in the world and is the associate school of La Scala Theatre Ballet, an international ballet company based at La Scala in Milan, Italy. The school forms part of the theatre's Academy for Performing Arts.

The Palace of the Banca Commerciale Italiana (in Italian, Palazzo della Banca Commerciale Italiana) is a historic building of Milan, Italy, located in Piazza della Scala, in the city centre. It was designed by architect Luca Beltrami in the early 20th century for Banca Commerciale Italiana (BCI, an Italian bank), and it is still in use as a seat of the company (now merged into Banca Intesa). Since 2011 it hosts the Gallerie di Piazza Scala where are exposed many artworks from the collections of Fondazione Cariplo.

Palazzo Marino is a 16th-century palace located in Piazza della Scala, in the centre of Milan, Italy. It has been Milan's city hall since 9 September 1861. It borders on Piazza San Fedele, Piazza della Scala, Via Case Rotte and Via Tommaso Marino. The palace was built for, and is named after, the Genoan trader and banker Tommaso Marino. It became a property of the State in 1781.

The Museo Teatrale alla Scala is a theatrical museum and library attached to the Teatro alla Scala in Milan, Italy. Although it has a particular focus on the history of opera and of that opera house, its scope extends to Italian theatrical history in general, and includes displays relating, for example, to the commedia dell'arte and to the famous stage actress Eleonora Duse. The museum, which is adjacent to the opera house in the Piazza della Scala, was opened on 8 March 1913 and was based on a large private collection which had been purchased at auction two years earlier, with funds raised both from government and private sources. The displays include costumes, set designs, autograph scores, and musical instruments of historical interest as well as paintings of musicians and actors, and a range of related paraphernalia including precious ceramic figures portraying characters from the commedia dell'arte, and board games which used to be played in the theatre's foyer. The Biblioteca Livia Simoni, the museum's library, is situated at the II floor of the Museum. It was formed in 1952 with 40,000 volumes donated by author and Corriere della Sera critic Renato Simoni; it is named in honour of his mother. Today it holds some 140,000 works related to theatre history, opera and ballet including librettos, periodicals and the correspondence of musicians, actors and dancers, as well as books.

La Scala (UK: , US: , Italian: [la ˈskaːla]; abbreviation in Italian of the official name Teatro alla Scala [teˈaːtro alla ˈskaːla]) is a famous opera house in Milan, Italy. The theatre was inaugurated on 3 August 1778 and was originally known as the Nuovo Regio Ducale Teatro alla Scala (New Royal-Ducal Theatre alla Scala). The premiere performance was Antonio Salieri's Europa riconosciuta. Most of Italy's greatest operatic artists, and many of the finest singers from around the world, have appeared at La Scala. The theatre is regarded as one of the leading opera and ballet theatres globally. It is home to the La Scala Theatre Chorus, La Scala Theatre Ballet, La Scala Theatre Orchestra, and the Filarmonica della Scala orchestra. The theatre also has an associate school, known as the La Scala Theatre Academy (Italian: Accademia Teatro alla Scala), which offers professional training in music, dance, stagecraft, and stage management.

The TownHouse Galleria is a luxury hotel in Milan, Italy. Located inside Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, it opened in 2007. It was previously called the Seven Stars Galleria.

Piazza San Fedele (Saint Fedele Square in English) is sited in Milan near Palazzo Marino (Milan's Municipal office), the Vittorio Emanuele II Gallery and Piazza della Scala in a pedestrian area in the centre of the city. The square is sited in front of at the homonymous San Fedele Church built based on an old project by Pellegrino Tibaldi in the 16th century and finally consecrated in the 18th century. In the centre of square there is a bronze statue honoring the writer Alessandro Manzoni. The writer was born in the nearby Casa Manzoni in Belgiojoso square on 7 March 1785. On 6 January 1873, while exiting mass at the church of San Fedele, he fell on the steps. The head wound led to his demise on 22 May 1873. The statue was sculpted by Francesco Barzaghi and erected in 1883.