General Information:
Milan (Italian: Milano) is the second largest city in Italy covering an area of 181.1 squared kilomteres. Milan is the capital in the Province of Milan, as well as the regional capital of Lombardy. The population of the city is estimated to be 1,300,000 while the urban area population is about 3.08 million inhabitants. The people of Milan are referred to as "Milanese".
Milan is considered to be the world’s capital of fashion and design. Some of its known landmarks are: Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, Royal palace of Milan, Duomo di Milano.

History:
The city name Milan is derived from the ancient Latin name of the city, Mediolanum. Mediolanum, the ancient Milan, was an important Celtic and then Roman centre of northern Italy. The first settlement of the Celtic Insubres dates back to 600 B.C. In 222 B.C. the Romans conquered this piece of land and named it Mediolanum. In the Edict of Milan (letter signed by emperors Constantine I and Licinius that proclaimed religious toleration) in 313 freedom of religion for Christians was guaranteed in Milan.
During the Middle Ages, Milan had a large advantage and become the centre of trade due to its control of the rich plain of the Po and routes from Italy across the Alps. In the 19th century Napoleon conquered Lombardy and Milan was declared capital of the Cisalpine Republic. When Napoleons ruling ended, Congress of Vienna returned Lombardy, and Milan, along with Veneto, to Austrian control in 1815. At this time Milan became the centre of lyric opera, where Mozart wrote three opera’s.
On March 18, 1848, the Milanese rebelled against Austrian rule, during the so-called "Five Days", and did not succeed. However, in 1859 Sardinia and France formed an alliance and defeated Austria at the Battle of Solferino. In 1861 Milan was returned back to Italy. During WW2, under the rule of Benito Mussolini the Italians allied with the Nazi’s. In 944 there was heavy bombing in Milan, mostly focused on main railway station. Since 2001 the population of Milan stabilized and started a slow increase.

Culture:
In Lombardy besides the Italian language, approximately a third of the population of western Lombardy (the section where Milan is located) can speak the Western Lombard language, also known as Insubric. A small population of the city can also speak traditional Milanese language.
In the late 18th century, and throughout the 19th, Milan played a significant role as the centre of intellectual discussion and literary creativity. Some of the famous writers and poet’s were: Cesare Beccaria, Pietro Verri, Giuseppe Parini, and Ugo Foscolo.

Climate:
Milan is typically classified as having a humid subtropical climate. Summer temperature is on average between 24-28 C degrees, and 6-11 C degrees in winter time. Snow fall are common even though in the last 20 years amount of snow has decreased.