INTRODUCTION TO MILAN

Milan (Milano in Italian), the second city of Italy, located on the flat plains of the northern province of Lombardy surrounded by an arc of mountains and lakes is a world renowned centre for Fashion, Design, Finance, Industry and Football. It has great museums, a huge castle, one of the largest Gothic cathedrals on earth and one of the world's most famous paintings (Leonardo da Vinci's Last Supper).Milan's genius is combining hard work and high fashion with the haute couture houses of Armani and Dolce and Gabbana as revered captains of industry. The circuit of annual fashion shows and design fairs and exhibitions in the city attracts many international visitors and celebrities.
Despite its work orientated persona as Italy's economic powerhouse, Milan has lots of gems hidden away, apart from the discount designer outlet stores you'll have time to discover the Italian "dolce vita" (sweet life) in the many outdoor cafés and bars as well as free time excursions to nearby lakes and mountains (the Swiss border is less than an hour away).

The city of Milan is synonymous with cutting edge fashion and design. It is the heart of modern Italy. Surrounded by a centuries old environment it also provides an outstanding opportunity for students to explore the possibilities of tomorrow within the context of an evolving European/world culture. Milan is the place to attend international events, exhibitions and trade fairs such as the International Furniture Fair. The creative industries, embracing international Design studios, cool hunting agencies, communication and graphic design companies, television production companies, theatres, art galleries, museums and industrial production, make Milan a unique place to experience creativity and understand production processes. Milan's central location provides easy access to major Italian cities such as Rome (4 and a half hour train ride) , Florence (3 hours), Verona (2 hours train ride) and Venice (3 hours train ride), while La Scala theatre and Leonardo da Vinci's Last Supper are just two of the historical sites that are easily accessible from NABA.

MILAN SCHOOL LOCATION

NABA is located nearby at Via Darwin 20 within the historical "Navigli" area of Milan, one of the loveliest and liveliness districts of the city. The premises are inside a late nineteenth century industrial complex that has recently been refurbished and has considerable architectural value.

TRAVELLING AROUND

Milan offers an extensive network of buses, trams and underground trains to help you move around easily. The city transportation company (ATM): http://www.atm-mi.it/ATM/eng/ day and weekly passes are available as are books of 10 single tickets known as "carnets" remember you cant buy tickets on the bus but only from ATM offices or Tobacco Shops (Tabacchi - look for the blue T sign) Tickets must be validated (stamped) on board by inserting them into the red or yellow validation machines.

Find here more information about transportation in Milan.

LIVING AND STUDYING IN ITALY

Further reading links Milan city guides in English:

About Milan: your tourist guide to Milan, Italy.
Study abroad in Milan: find all Information about studying in Milan.
Italian Design Academy in Milan: study fashion & design in Italy.

Check out the Triennale a permanent design collection in a historic building by the Sempione park-also home to the famous "Salone del Mobile" furniture fair http://www.triennale.it/

Retail experience: shop 'til you drop
In Milan, starting from mid-July the end-of-season summer sales begin. Our staff will be able to point you towards the best Italian fashion bargains in town...

DAYS OUT

The Alpine lakes at Como by the Swiss border are a great place to relax and less than an hour away. Venice is 3 hours by train and the chic seaside resorts of Liguria such as Santa Margherita and Portofino less than 2 hours.

AFTER THE COURSE FINISHES

When your course finishes in Milan you have the opportunity to further explore Italy's other historic towns and cities (and the beaches) or choose one of the other nearby European countries to visit such as France, Switzerland, Austria or Spain.

CHECK THESE LINKS FOR FURTHER PLANNING AND INSPIRATION

www.raileurope.co.uk (European rail networks)
http://www.trenitalia.it/en/index.html (Italian state railways)
http://www.azfly.it (low cost Italian flights consortium domestic and international)
http://www.italiantourism.com/ (Italian Tourist board official site)

http://europa.eu.int/abc/travel/index_en.htm European Union official site on all aspects of travelling around all of the 25 EU countries with further links to tourist offices

FESTIVALS AND CARNIVALS

August in Europe offers a host of interesting festivals , street parties and cultural events. You could head up to the Edinburgh Festival in Scotland, Stay in Italy for the Palio horse races in Siena or the outdoor Opera in the Roman Arena at Verona or pop down to Spain for the Benicassim Music Festival and the "Tomatina" both near Valencia.

Find here more information about Events in Milan.