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Dear Monica,
we don't know how much you know about our wonderful country and about our history, so we would like you to visit one of the must-see Italian cities and we would like to introduce you to some of its most brilliant and famous citizens.
So, let's go to Milan.
This photo has been taken from the "roof" of our most important church: the Duomo. It is a gothic cathedral and it took nearly six centuries to be completed. It is the 5th largest cathedral in the world and it has 3400 statues plus over 700 marble reliefs. The outer perimeter, the roof terraces and the 135 spires and pinnacles are covered with thousands and thousands of ornamental elements, each different from the others.
Unfortunately, Leonardo did not work in oil but it was a fresco on a two-layered surface of plaster that was no damp-proof. It was as early as 1568 when problems with this painting technique began. Repeated conservation programmes have been carried out, the most recent over the past 20 years.
Maybe you're wondering why Leonardo, who was born in the Florence Republic, was here in Milan...
In 1482 the 30-year-old Leonardo moved to Milan to work in the service of the city's Duke, Ludovico Sforza, and spent here 17 years, until Ludovico's fall from power. The reason was the charm Milan had at those times; Ludovico's court was brilliant and open-minded. A very stimulating place to live and work into!
A young girl, Lucia, is going to marry her fiancé, Renzo, but an evil, rich and powerful man, Don Rodrigo, has put his eyes on her and decides to impede the marriage. The couple is desperate: they must move apart, she is kept in a convent of nuns, he is involved in a revolt, imprisoned; they must face the plague, she promises to God that if Renzo survives she won't marry him...but finally they marry and grow children. A soap opera's plot ? A new TV series? Not at all ! It's the masterpiece of one of the most brilliant Italian writers born in Milan : Alessandro Manzoni.
Manzoni (1785 - 1873) was a writer and poet, especially famous for this novel called 'I Promessi Sposi' (The Bethrothed), claimed to be one of the best books written in Italian. He was born in Milan. He was the author of poems, critical and philosophical essays, but it wasn't until 'I Promesi Sposi' was published that he gained much acclaim. It is a romance placed at the time of the XVII century plague in Milan. The author's monument is situated within the city. He was also honoured by Verdi's 'Requiem'.
Its central idea will be food, sustainable development and health. Why have Italy and Milan been chosen ? Because Italian food is loved all over the world: it's healthy, it has outstanding qualities, it's authentic. Our passion for quality and taste of food, our regional cuisine, our biodiversity are part of our culture !
Because it is inspired by another brilliant Milan citizen: Giuseppe Arcimboldi (Milan, 1527 - Milan, 1593).
Giuseppe Arcimboldo (also spelled Arcimboldi; 1527 - July 11, 1593) was an Italian painter best known for creating imaginative portrait heads made entirely of such objects as fruits, vegetables, flowers, fish, and books - that is, he painted representations of these objects on the canvas arranged in such a way that the whole collection of objects formed a recognisable likeness of the portrait subject.
"La Scala", in full "Teatro alla Scala", one of the principal opera houses in the world and the leading Italian house. Rossini, Bellini, Verdi, Puccini had the "world premieres" of their operas here.
MIAMI