Milan , Italian Milano, City (pop., 2007 est.: 1,303,437), capital of Lombardy region, northern Italy. The area was settled by the Gauls c. 600 bce. Known as Mediolanum, it was conquered by the Romans in 222 bce. Attacked in 452 ce by Attila and in 539 by the Goths, it fell to Charlemagne in 774. Milan’s power grew in the 11th century, but it was destroyed by the Holy Roman Empire in 1162. Rebuilt as part of the Lombard League in 1167, Milan achieved independence in 1183. In 1450 Francesco Sforza founded a new dynasty there; after 1499 it was ruled alternately by the French and the Sforza family until 1535, when the Habsburgs obtained it. Napoleon took power in 1796, and in 1805 it became the capital of his Kingdom of Italy. Milan was incorporated into unified Italy in 1860. It was heavily damaged during World War II but was rebuilt. It is Italy’s most important economic centre, noted for its fashion industry as well as finance, retail and wholesale trade, media and publishing, and other services. Its historic sites include the medieval Duomo, Europe’s third largest cathedral; the Palazzo di Brera (1651); the monastery that houses Leonardo da Vinci’s Last Supper; and La Scala opera house.
