25 AMAZING Facts about the History of Milan!

What do you think of when you hear the word Milan? Let me guess… fashion?! Milan is renowned for being a top leader in the glamorous and glitzy world of fashion. There’s four heavy hitters out there: Paris, London, New York, and Milan. If fashion isn’t the name of your game, maybe Milan draws images to your mind of professional football teams or huge gorgeous Catholic cathedrals. Milan has a lot to offer the world besides stilettos, am I right?

Let’s dig a little deeper in the handbag of history to learn more about the alluring city of Milan.

Fun Facts about Milan's History

1 – Let’s Go To The Beginning

Milan was founded by the Celts around 400 BC. Much later in 222 BC, the Romans did what they do best and conquered the settlement. They then dubbed the city Mediolanum, which translates to Mediterranean in Latin. If you squint your eyes a little you can almost pick out the word Milan in Mediolanum. It has all the right letters!

2 – When Chiefs Find Mythological Creatures

Belloveso was the chief of the Celtic tribe that first settled in the area later known as Milan. According to legends, the chief found a mythological animal, a kind of half-woolen boar, which became the ancient symbol of the city itself. In the Middle Ages, they took a page from their history books and made wool production a key industry for the region!

3 – Invasions on Invasions on Invasions

It was at the beginning of the 5th century that barbarians began to invade Milan. The Visigoths took over in 402 AD and then good ol’ Attila the Hun ransacked the city in 452 AD. Later, the Ostrogoths conquered Milan in the Gothic War, and in 569 a Germanic tribe invaded and conquered Milan. Then our friend Charlemagne and the Franks took over in 774. Milan couldn’t catch a break!

4 – Celebrating The City

Milan celebrates its “City Day” each year on December 7. It’s in commemoration of the patron Saint of Milan, Saint Ambrose, which dates back to in 1447 when the Ambrosian Republic was enacted. You might have noticed that they played copy cat with taking their name from St. Ambrose.

Milan Fashion History

5 – Let’s Get A New Name

There’s this fancy middle English world that you probably don’t know about: “milaner” or “millaner.” Have you heard about Festiva? It signifies fine wares and luxury apparel. In the 16th century, the production of such high-end goods in the area was so remarkable that the city embraced this term, which eventually led to Milan being named after it. If you’re interested in more about how luxury and historical craftsmanship intersect, check out https://linxlegal.com/festiva/.

6 – Department Store Extravaganza

In the 19th Century, Milan became a huge production center in textiles. It sure did look towards Paris for inspiration, I mean who wouldn’t look towards Paris?! But Milan began to stake a claim for itself with simple designs and high-quality fabrics. In fact, the first major department store in all of Italy opened in 1865: KMart! Just kidding, it was Alle Città d’Italia.

7 – On the Up and Up

In the 20th century, Milan had a growing number of oh-so-very-fabulous designers. These designers helped make a huge mark on the global fashion industry, putting Milan on the map big time. It was in the 1960s that Milan really emerged as one of the fashion capitals of the world.

8 – We Are The Champions

The year was 2009, and what a grand year for Milan it would be! 2009 marks the year that Milan officially took the title of Fashion Capital of The World. A title earned thanks to Global Language Monitor and fancy social media algorithms… #thankstechnology

Milan Cathedral History

9 – When Second Place Is Still Pretty Incredible

Milan’s Cathedral, also known as the Duomo di Milano, is the second largest cathedral in the world! It is bested by Saint Peter’s Basilica in Rome. Still, the Milan Cathedral covers a whole city block! That’s over 100,000 square feet!

10 – How Long To Build, You Ask?

The construction of the Milan Cathedral took over six centuries! The official start date was 1386 but they are still working on construction today. Yep, not done yet!

11 – Got statues?

Apparently, the Milan Cathedral has more statues than any other building in the world. There is a grand total of 3,400 statues, 135 gargoyles and 700 figures. Sure sounds like the Milan Duomo is a little crowded…

12 – The Revered Red Light Bulb

Sometimes a red light bulb marks more than an exit. There is a red light bulb above the apse in the Milan Cathedral that indicates a spot where one of the nails from Jesus’ crucifixion was supposedly placed. Impressive, indeed!

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AC Milan History

Photo credit – Acmilan

13 – Associazione Calcio Milan

AC Milan stands for Associazione Calcio Milan and is a professional football club based in Milan. The team was formed in December 1899 and initially included both a cricket and football team. Apparently, the cricket team has fallen to the wayside over the years…

14 – Instant Winners

AC Milan immediately won the King’s Medal Trophy in January 1990, just one month after their official formation! They won three national leagues real fast too, in 1901, 1906, and 1907. AC Milan were instant winners!

15 – A Rift and A Split

The team hadn’t even been together for 10 years before they had to form a second team, F.C. Internazionale Milano. In 1908, there was issues and arguments over signing foreign players. Thus, one team became two!

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Inter Milan History

Photo credit – UEFA

16 – Everybody Can Play!

Internazionale Milano, also known as Inter Milan, is the other professional football team that calls Milan it’s home As previously mentioned, they split away from the AC Milan Football Club in 1908. They took the name Internazionale because the founding members insisted on accepting all foreign players to their team, forming a truly international team!

17 – When There’s Cute Nicknames

Inter Milan isn’t the only nickname for Internazionale Milano. They have another popular nickname: nerazzurri, which comes from smashing the words nero and azzurro together. The Italian words for black and blue!

18 – Brothers of the World

Inter Milan wanted a logo to represent their values, the acceptance of all players to their team, regardless of nationality. Giorgio Muggiani was the painter who designed their logo, with black and azure colors set against a background of stars, because “we are brothers of the world.”

19 – Champions With Some Sad News…

In 1910 Inter Milan took its first gold trophy. A championship is called in Italian, a Scudetto. Sadly, the captain and coach during this first Scudetto were killed in WWI, the beloved Virgilio Fossati. It took the team 10 more years to win another championship.

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Milan Derby History

Photo credit – FIFA

20 – No Luck, No Horses

The Derby della Madonnina, also commonly referred to as the Milan derby, has nothing to do with horses. Or Kentucky. This derby is a football match between the two rival Milanese clubs: Inter and AC.

21 – Get Your Prayer On

The Derby della Madonnina took its name in honor of the Virgin Mary statue that is on top of the Milan Cathedral. Madonnina means “Little Madonna” in Italian. I’m sure a lot of prayers are said to Madonnina before the games begin!

22 – When Sharing A Home

The derby takes place two times a year. It’s the only major derby in association football that is played at the same stadium. There is no switcheroos going on here. That’s. Because both teams in Milan call San Siro their home stadium.

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Music History in Milan

Photo credit – Mimag

23 – Remember Saint Ambrose?

The Ambrosian chants of Milan are among the very first codified music in all of Western culture. The chants led to the development of scales! Talk about important! That’s crazy!

24 – La Scala, La Opera!

The leading opera house and ballet theatre in Italy was built in 1778 in Milan and was named: La Scala! Milan wouldn’t be Milan without Italian opera! La Scala is also home to La Scala Theatre Chorus, La Scala Theatre Ballet and La Scala Theatre Orchestra, and a Theatre Academy too!

25 – When A Monastery Meets A Conservatory

The Milan Conservatory was established way back in 1807 and was built on the premises on an ancient monastery. It did have to be rebuilt and heavily renovated after the damage it endured from WW2. The Milan Conservatory still hosts many renowned concert series each year.

From Fashion to Football, Milan has it all. Not to mention the popular ambrosian chants that we just can’t stop hearing about. It really is a wonder why it’s not more commonly known that those chants are the basis of our modern musical scale system. Seems like a pretty big deal, not to be talking about it more. Well, you know it about it now smarty-pants reader. So go ahead and spread your knowledge!

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