Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Ambitious Industrialists
Lombardy stands out in the European land-
scape for its diverse economy, industrial
strength and productive agricultural sector.
With a population of nearly 10 million there
are more Lombards than Swedes and with
8.45 companies for each 100 inhabitants, the
region's economy is larger than Belgium's
with GDP per capita 35% higher and unem-
ployment less than half the European average.
Some 220,000 students in 15 universities keep
the region and its cities young and full of
ideas, while foreign immigrants (25% of all
foreign immigrants in Italy) give Milan a cos-
mopolitan flavour. And in the face of global
recession, Lombards have simply redoubled
their efforts, engaging Kartell president Clau-
dio Luti to rebrand the Salone del Mobile, at-
tracting Qatari investment to Porta Nuova and
planning the biggest, commercial enterprise in
recession-plagued Europe: Expo 2015.
Best in Print
Promessi Sposi
(The Betrothed; 1827) Aless-
andro Manzoni's tale of two lovers, and a coun-
try, longing to be united.
Design as Art
(1966) Illuminating text by de-
signer Bruno Munari.
Accidental Death of an Anarchist
(1970) A
sly, subversive comedy by Dario Fo.
Voices from the Plains
(1985) Gianni Celati's
arresting stories of chance encounters on the Po
plains.
Best in Film
Miracolo a Milano
(Miracle in Milan; 1951)
Vittorio de Sica's fairy tale about a boy who
unites the poor and is given the gift of miracles.
Rocco and His Brothers
(1960) Luchino Vis-
conti's take on southern immigration, boxing
and brotherhood.
Teorema
(1968) Pier Paolo Pasolini sets Teren-
ce Stamp loose on a haute-bourgeois Milanese
family.
I Am Love
(2009) Luca Guadagnino's drama
about the suffocating power of family and tradi-
tion.
Che Bella Giornata
(What a Beautiful Day;
2011) Gennaro Nunziante's comedy about a se-
curity guard from Brianza is Italy's most com-
mercially successful film.
Reinventing the Future
As hardworking as the Lombards may be, if
you hang out in Milan's piazzas and bars,
you'll find plenty of Milanese who'll make
time for conversation. They'll reveal that
young Milanese are now taking jobs that in-
terest them rather than positions with big salaries and career advancement. How Lom-
bardy manages the transition from its traditional manufacturing and agricultural economy
to specialist services and knowledge-intensive activities will be the key to maintaining its
distinctive European position.
While multinational companies have a strong presence here, it is the 823,000 small- and
medium-sized businesses that will have the largest role to play in this transformation. Em-
