PROVINCE OF MILAN Hard work, innovation and a cosmopolitan outlook makes it one of the fastest-growing areas
| Symbol of Milan and the Lombardy region, the Duomo is the largest gothic structure in Italy |
 |
ne
of the richest parts of Europe, Milan is synonymous with style. The
centre of Italian fashion and design, industry, finance, new economy
and publishing, it has the same per capita GDP as London. The province
of Milan alone produces an estimated 20 per cent of all Italian exports.
From a business perspective, the city is
one of the fastest growing and most efficient centres in Italy. Milan
excels in its capacity to generate employment, in innovation and in
its international outlook, with much of its success due to the entrepreneurship
and hard work of its inhabitants. It is Europe’s main window on
Italy, a crucial hub for air, road and rail communications.
Ombretta Colli, President of Milan province,
says a great deal of investment is planned to upgrade the city’s
transport infrastructure to meet future challenges. Certain essential
characteristics will not be affected, however. “I believe that
Milan’s reputation will always be that of a working and reliable
city. It is a town where people work hard and with enthusiasm,”
she says.
But this is also a place in transition.
Milan is today changing, trying to reinvent itself, to prepare for its
role as a European cultural capital, transforming its industrial suburbs
into new service-based zones. One of the core aims of the local government
is to decentralise the saturated city centre and harness the strengths
of the outlying areas.
The city is looking to transform the image
and reality of Milan from a functional industrial centre into a major
cultural one, similar to the way New York utilised its artistic heritage
back in the 1990s. There is plenty to build on. Milan, Italy’s
second most visited destination after Rome, is home to the Duomo of
Milan, the largest Gothic structure in Italy, the Scala Opera House
and Leonardo’s ‘Last Supper’.
|
||
|
Salvatore
Carrubba, Councillor for Culture and Museums at the city
government, says there is more to Milan than meets the eye. “Milan
is one of the best-known Italian cities in the world – we should
do more to let people know our cultural treasures.”
The city is reconstructing the Scala and
intends to build the European Library of Information and Culture in
an old railway station, as well as several new museums. It is part of
a co-ordinated public sector led initiative to redefine the city. “Culture
can play an important role. It can be the right tool for growth. Culture
can actually be used to improve the quality of life in a city. Culture
is a marketing tool.”
Milan is looking to exploit
its existing strengths, for example, the fashion industry. Mario Boselli,
President of the Camera Nazionale della Moda, the association of the
fashion industry, believes that fashion plays a critical role in the
economic profile of the region. “Fashion is to Italy what oil is
to the Gulf countries – our gushing wealth.”
The Milan Chamber of Commerce is also assisting
with efforts to transform the city. It is the largest Chamber in Europe
in terms of the number of members, roughly 425,000, and plays an integral
role in supporting the vibrant local business community. Its President,
Carlo Sangalli, says the Chamber assists local firms in a number of
ways, promoting infrastructural investments and nurturing a global perspective
among members. He believes that Milan –
and indeed the wider Lombardy region – represents the very best
of Italian industry. “In Italy there is a culture of quality related
to a mix of design and innovation.”
Roberto Caputo, President of Milan’s
provincial council, is working on reform of the local administrative
system to make life easier for businesses. He says people must continue
to believe in a place that has given so much to the world. “Now
it offers new ideas, initiatives and opportunities that should not be
undervalued.”
[email protected]