Belgium (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – The cities of Brussels and Milan are forging ever closer connections – and helping to raise each other’s cultural profile in the process.
A key step in this has been the opening of the very first Brussels House in Milan’s new Porta Nuova district.
This aims to showcase the Belgian capital in what is one of Milan’s trending cultural and business districts. This ranges from peanut butter produced by Ixelles Buddy Buddy to copies of Tintin novels and records by Stromae.
The Brussels House provides space to Brussels and Belgian organisations and companies to organise events, and also houses the offices of the economic and tourism representatives of the Brussels Region in Milan.
A spokesman for Pascal Smet, Brussels State Secretary for International Relations and Trade, says, “Brussels is unique and has unique assets. We are often overly modest, but we have companies, products, artists, architects, and restaurants that are among the absolute best in the world. The Brussels House will be real shop windows for our great city.”
There are plans to open a second Brussels House in Barcelona in September.
Visitors to Milan, from Belgium or anywhere, cannot but be impressed by its own cultural and historic significance.
A couple of “must-sees” in this fine northern Italian city are The Last Supper and La La Scala, the famous opera house.
Milan’s Teatro alla Scala is probably the most famous opera house in the world and an unmissable destination for music and culture devotees.
Many of the operas singers, performers, conductors, dancers and directors who have made history – from Bellini to Verdi, Maria Callas, Pavarotti, Carla Fracci and Luchino Visconti – have trodden this hallowed stage.
Yet this has not always been the case: La Scala was constructed in just two years (1776-78) by the architect Giuseppe Piermarini and, over time, it served numerous functions, for a period it was even a gambling venue for the Milanese bourgeoisie.
It soon became the most fashionable and most imitated theatre in the world and, during its history, it underwent various reconstructions: for the first time in 1943, in the wake of the destruction of WW2. It was then extended and restored between 2002 and 2004 and, finally, it faced its most recent and most impactful restoration in 2014.
Today, visitors need not attend an opera performance to get a glimpse of the theatre. This can easily be done by visiting the museum from where you can see the inside of the theatre from one of the third-level boxes.
Another highly acclaimed Milan visitor attraction is Leonardo da Vinci’s The Last Supper, located in the refectory of the Dominican convent of Santa Maria delle Grazie.
It is one of UNESCO’s World Heritage sites.
Ludovico il Moro, the Duke of Milano, was the patron of the most famous artist of that time, Leonardo da Vinci, and in order to celebrate the church and mausoleum of the Sforza family, he commissioned what was to become an unrivalled masterpiece.
Leonardo was engaged in this work from 1494 to 1497, working on other commissions at the same time. il Moro provided Leonardo with a patch of land just across the road from Santa Maria delle Grazie, close to the work in progress.
The historic narrative from the Gospel of John unfolds before our eyes: the moment after Christ, seated at the centre and surrounded by his apostles, reveals Judas’ betrayal.
Interesting facts:
· It is said that in his masterpiece Leonardo da Vinci painted Judas Thaddeus in his own likeness;
· When the French conquered Milano, Napoleon turned this refectory into a stable for his horses, regardless of the artwork on the wall.
· During the bombings of August 1943, The Last Supper was miraculously saved, remaining unsheltered in the open air for almost two years, covered by cloths and sandbags only, until the end of the war.
Visitors are placed in a group and have just 15 minutes to admire the magnificent work so make the most of it.
If you are travelling with youngsters, then not too far away is something that may appeal to a younger generation: Jungle Raider Park. There are several of these scattered around the region and each provides a real adrenalin surge.
Set among trees, you get the chance to climb (or take a faster zip wire route) from one tree to another. There are different routes depending on your ability (and ambition) and it is all a great way to while away a couple of hours or so out of the city. The opening of Brussels House is meant as a shop window for the Belgian capital but, as can be seen, Milan itself has more than its share of fantastic attractions too.
