Milan, Italian Milano, city, capital of Milano province (provincia) and of the region (regione) of Lombardy (Lombardia), northern Italy. Yet although Rome remains the political capital of Italy, Milan has long been known as its “moral capital.” It is the leading financial centre and the most prosperous manufacturing and commercial city of Italy.

In addition to clothing design, Milan is a world centre of design in general. A number of small, high-quality businesses specialize in furniture design, graphic design, and other areas. The design industry remains central to the Besana in Brianza area north of the city.

The most striking of the monuments to be seen in contemporary Milan is the cathedral, or Duomo, a triumph of Gothic architecture; it is one of the largest churches of contemporary Europe, holding more than 20,000 people.

The most notable of the city’s many palaces is the Palazzo di Brera, construction of which dates from 1651. Its architect, Francesco Maria Ricchino, infused the whole Milanese Baroque with his severe style. The building’s Pinacoteca di Brera, founded in 1809 by Napoleon, is one of the largest art galleries in Italy and contains a fine collection of north Italian painting.

Just off the Corso Garibaldi stands the Basilica San Simpliciano, which according to tradition was founded in the 4th century by St. Ambrose. Its apse contains the 15th-century fresco Coronation of the Virgin by Ambrogio Bergognone. Other notable churches in the central area include San Satiro, Sant’Eustorgio, San Lorenzo Maggiore, and San Babila.