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Via Monte Napoleone, with the narrow side streets branching off, claims to be the most elegant street in Milan, and one of the most sophisticated in all of Europe. Montenapo, as the Milanese call it, used to be a must not only for window-shopping, but also to experience the rarefied and exclusive atmosphere of well-heeled Milan. Nowadays, jam-packed with cars and delivery vans parked there at all hours of the day, you instead experience the total senselessness of those who don't demand that the whole street be made a pedestrian area.
Its name dates back to 1804, and the height of the Napoleonic era. In those days Milan was teeming with foreigners who crowded into the city, not only for business reasons, but more often than not because - as Stendhal, himself a lover of Milan, pointed out - the city was "a wealthy republic dedicated to art and pleasure".
The splendid extravagance of those times are in some ways reflected today in what is called the 'Quadrilatero', that is Via Sant'Andrea, Via Spiga, Via Borgospesso and - alas - Via Monte Napoleone itself. In these streets and their environs one can find the greatest concentration of famous fashion designers outlets, both Italian and foreign, as well as jewelers, furriers and antique dealers.
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HOW TO GET THERE. You can reach Via Monte Napoleone from Piazza San Babila (subway stop San Babila; Bus 54, 61, 65, 73), which is the best way to begin our window walk.
Otherwise, you can reach the other side of the Quadrilatero coming either from Via Manzoni (subway stop Montenapoleone; Tram 1, 2) or Piazza Cavour (subway stop Turati; Tram 1, 2; Bus 61, 94).
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CiaoMilano is conceived and edited
by KIWI, Milano
.:. Monica Levy, who created this website, is no longer with us. Her smile is behind this word |
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.:. ciaomilano.it by KiwiMilano is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.5 Italy License
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.:. last updated on March 10 2010 |
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