Milan

History

How the city came to be

The Italian National Tourist Board traces Milan's earliest settlement to the Insubres around the sixth century BC. Between AD 286 and 402 Roman Mediolanum was a political centre of the Western Roman Empire, which secured its lasting role as a hub of transport and administration. In the Middle Ages Milan developed into a free commune, and later the Visconti and Sforza families built their courts and defences here; the castle is an important entry point to this chapter of the city's history. In the fifteenth century the cathedral was still under lengthy construction, work began on the convent of Santa Maria delle Grazie, and Leonardo da Vinci painted The Last Supper in its refectory in 1495–1497. After the Second World War Milan grew rapidly through industrial, financial and cultural reconstruction; today the cathedral, the castle and the design districts sit side by side, and a walking route is the best way to understand the city's layers old and new.

1. c. 590 BCThe Insubres establish an early settlement.
2. AD 286–402Milan is an important capital of the Western Roman Empire.
3. Middle AgesMilan develops into a free commune.
4. 14th–15th centuriesThe Visconti and Sforza eras shape the castle and the city's courts.
5. 1463Construction of the Santa Maria delle Grazie complex begins.
6. 1495–1497Leonardo da Vinci paints The Last Supper.
7. Post-warMilan becomes a centre of Italy's industrial and cultural revival.

Stories

Stories of the city