Milan, Feature
Chic Milan
Helena Thompson finds Italy more than a pretty face
My backpack and I arrive in Europe?s fashion capital feeling decidedly un-haute couture. The only noise loud enough to drown my stomach's rumble is young people laughing - which leads me to Navigli, Milan's most vibrant quarter.
Here food and drink prove much more important than clothes. Galleries, old houses and neglected churches vie with funky new bars for the attention of students and artists. Attracted by the nearby university and the theatre school, Milan's bright young things favour these cheap restaurants.
Full of pizza my cultural appetite finally kicks in. I head to the more sombre dining scene of Leonardo da Vinci's Last Supper, housed in the Monastry of St Maria delle Grazie. Like all the relics of the Renaissance, the city cherishes this well-preserved old masterpiece.
For though Milan flaunts the attractions of shopping, nightclubs and varied cuisine, it also takes pride in its artistic history. The gothic Duomo and Hapsburg architecture are as much an acquired taste as the high-powered dressing, and just as worthwhile cultivating.
