Milan is famous globally as a capital of fashion and finance. However, the Italian metropolis hides centuries of dark secrets and strange curiosities behind its elegant facades. For instance, a colony of pink flamingos lives privately in the heart of the city. Furthermore, the conservatory refused admission to one of history's greatest opera composers because they thought he lacked talent. Consequently, the real Milan is far more interesting than just shopping and business. Therefore, walk through the streets of the Lombard capital. You will discover a city full of surprises.
Milan
Giuseppe Verdi failed his entrance exam to the Milan Conservatory. Specifically, the examiners rejected the eighteen-year-old musical genius because they believed his piano technique was poor and he was too old.
A statue on the Duomo likely inspired the Statue of Liberty. In 1810, Camillo Pacetti sculpted “The New Law” for the cathedral’s facade, and it bears a striking resemblance to New York’s famous landmark.
Real pink flamingos live in a private garden in the city. If you peek through the fence of Villa Invernizzi, you can see a flock of these birds bathing in a pond.
Leonardo da Vinci owned a vineyard across from the Last Supper. The Duke of Milan gifted him this land while he painted the masterpiece, and experts recently replanted the original grape variety there.
Locals spin on a bull’s testicles for good luck. Inside the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, people grind their heel into the mosaic of a bull until a hole forms in the floor.
The “Devil’s Column” stands outside the Basilica of Sant’Ambrogio. Legend says the devil pierced the marble pillar with his horns after the saint kicked him. Consequently, the holes smell like sulfur.
A church chapel is decorated entirely with human bones. At San Bernardino alle Ossa, monks used thousands of skulls and femurs to cover the walls in intricate patterns.
The Duomo took nearly six centuries to complete. Although construction began in 1386, workers did not finish the final gate until 1965.
Leonardo da Vinci invented the lock system for the canals. While he did not dig the Navigli, he designed the wooden gates that allowed boats to navigate the different water levels.
A bronze ear serves as a doorbell. At the “Ca’ de l’Oreggia,” a sculpture of a giant ear functions as an intercom for the building.
Napoleon Bonaparte crowned himself King of Italy in the Duomo. In 1805, the French emperor placed the Iron Crown of Lombardy on his own head inside the cathedral.
A “Lady in Black” haunts Parco Sempione. According to local legend, a veiled ghost lures men into the fog before revealing her skull-like face to terrify them.
The Last Supper is fading because of a failed experiment. Leonardo painted on dry drywall instead of wet plaster, which caused the paint to flake off almost immediately.
Secret tunnels lie beneath the Sforza Castle. Recently, researchers discovered underground passages that Leonardo sketched in his notebooks centuries ago.
Finally, the traditional Panettone cake was born here. A popular legend claims a kitchen boy named Toni invented the sweet bread to save a ruined Christmas dessert for the Duke.
