Following Italian unification, Milan was still not the political capital of the nation. However, it did emerge as the financial and cultural capital, a quality that it does not appear to have lost even today. The industry and infrastructures created by the Austro-Hungarians bore fruit.
Milan saw significant growth in its population that brought with it a number of social conse- quences, such as the creation of unions, the first strikes and demonstrations and a large-scale protest in 1898 which ended in a number of incidents.
Futurism emerged shortly after, identifying with the artistic, cultural and even political ideas of the time. Milan resisted the arrival of the Second World War and was the last major Italian city to remain under the control of the Fascists.
On 26 April 1945, the bodies of El Duce and some of his most loyal officials were put on display in Milan’s Piazzale Loreto, the same place that had been the setting only a few days earlier for a series
of firing squads ordered by Mussolini.
Hotels in Milano, check rates.
Portofino World ®, a World apart.
