Fashion Industry in Italy: Milano and Frienze
Italy is a city of tradition and family pride. Whether in the big industrious city of Milan or in the small traditional city of Florence, it is evident that Italians truly love their culture. Between the “genuinely” beautiful leather and the delicious food there is a lot to be proud of and enjoy. Italy is a country that will draw you back time after time.
Located the oldest train station in Milan is now a hotel by Moschino. This dreamlike master piece is definitely a must when visiting Milan. There are sixteen different types of rooms creating a special feeling for every guest. Each different theme is based off of a fantasy that will let your mind wander. From the “Forest Room” to the “Sleeping in a Ball Gown Room” there is a little something for everyone. What is just as wonderful as the rooms is the dining area. The seats have backs like dresses and the breakfast is served in a shoe box. The Maison Moschino always caters to the exact needs of their customers, whether it is food, a wonderful room, or even a lovely day at the spa!
Hidden away in a quaint little street is a concept shop that will put all other stores to shame! 10 Corso Como is probably one of the most interesting stores in Milan. This store has everything from clothing to toiletries. The visual merchandising in 10 Corso Como allows the customer to see new themes and types of merchandise on every inch of the store. Inside the store there are many different designers and even a café and bookstore. 
On a dining room wall in the Santa Maria delle Grazie is The Last Supper by Leonardo Divinchi. This painting is absolutely breath taking and stunning. This painting depicts the last meal Jesus Christ had with his disciples before his crucifixion. It would be easy to sit and look at this masterpiece for hours however everyone is limited to twenty minutes in order to help preserve the old painting. Seeing The Last Supper is moment someone will never forget, the effect of the artwork is so remarkable and it would be sad to not go and see it while visiting Milan. The church that The Last Supper is in is also very beautiful and has great architecture on the inside and out!
While shopping around in Milan it is vital to go and see the Zara flagship store. This store is so grand that you will not believe you are in a Zara. The first thing seen when walking into the store is a grand staircase leading into the main floor. On the walls are beautiful mosaic pictures. The store is absolutely huge, allowing customers to move around easily. There is so much merchandise that it would take a couple of days to sort through everything. The sizes of the departments are much bigger than a normal Zara store. The area around this store is a perfect place to shop! Down the street from Zara one can find La Rinascente, an Italian department store. This store is very elegant, comparing to Printemps of Paris or Harrods of London. La Rinascente sells similar merchandise as the other department stores found in Europe. There is a food floor and many different fashion items. This store is a great way to shop for designers from all over the world as well as well known Italian designers like Missoni and Moschino.
Right outside of the La Rinascente one would find them standing in the Duomo Square. In the center is a gorgeous Cathedral that is absolutely huge! Inside the gothic style Cathedral is just as pretty and impressive as the outside. The marble floor and the exquisite high ceilings make this cathedral a one in a kind masterpiece! The Duomo Square is a wonderful place to sit with friends and watch the birds, or shop for souvenirs. Sometimes there is even a man feeding the birds by letting them sit on his hands. This is definitely a sight to see and while it is a little disturbing, it makes a wonderful photo op! 
Michelangelo’s Statue of David can be found in the Academia Galleria in Florence, Italy. This seventeen feet giant is a site to see! David was carved out of white marble by Michelangelo himself. David is supposed to represent the young David of the Bible who fought the lion; however Michelangelo decided to build him older and mature. It is important to walk all the way around the statue from far away and close up in order to see all of his glory. It is even possible to see the lines from where lightening struck him while he was placed outside at the Palazo della Signoria where he originally stood up until the nineteenth century. David is a masterpiece that will amaze the toughest critic! Just remember not to bring your camera because they will run you down for any pictures!
Italians are known for being proud of their culture and tradition. This is definitely the case when it comes to the Romoli brothers, owners of Casa dei Tessuti. This exquisite house of fabrics represents what Italy is all about, quality and family. Dr. Romano Romoli, one of the owners, proudly describes Italy’s history with a huge grin on his face every time! He has a wonderful eye for fabrics and what looks good on whom. Not only does Romano sell fabric, but he also is a poet. In his book, Flori di Cardo, one can see how romantic and emotional Romano is about life. He once said “With no warp we cannot weave. With no memory we cannot live.” This quote reminds us how important it is to hold on to the past and to traditions, whether it is the tradition of fabric or just the tradition of telling stories about history and culture. Dr. Romano Romoli is probably the sweetest man someone will have the pleasure to meet. It is well worth the time to stop into this old fabric store and have a conversation with him!The Duomo Cathedral stands in the heart of Florence. With its beautiful green marble and white marble exterior this Cathedral is a masterpiece. There are two parts of the Cathedral the main building and the baptism building. The baptism building is where non baptized people would go and worship because they were not allowed into the cathedral until after being baptized. The green marble is very special because on in Italy is green marble made. Therefore the Duomo Cathedral is an Italian and more importantly a Florence pride and joy!
Italy is well known for their leather products. The leather market in Italy is a wonderful place to find every type of leather possible. Calf and lamb are the main types of leather, with the occasional pig. One can find every style of hand bag or wallet in almost any color! While this market is known for its leather goods, there are also many other things to find there. Scarves, masks, and fun Florence souvenirs to name a few, are also sold. It is important to remember to barter for a good price, because it is quite easy to talk them down to what you want to pay! While this market is completely safe and an exciting place, it is trivial that you watch out for the men selling fake bags. It is not only illegal to sell the fake bags, but also to purchase! Also, always remember to watch your bag and carry lots of cash!
Florence is filled with wonderful museums of all different kinds. There are two very important Florence designers that have very interesting museums, Salvatore Ferragamo and Gucci. The Ferragamo museum is a wonderful museum that displays many of his shoes from the past. There are shoes from famous actresses as well as the wooden forms that he used to make the shoes. Ferragamo was a wonderful craftsman of shoes and the museum does a wonderful job of displaying his accomplishments. The Gucci museum, which opened this fall, displays all of the major eras of Gucci’s history. The museum starts you off in the Travel room. Gucci started its mark as a luggage company so it was only fitting that visitors see this room first. Within this part of the museum are all of the different styles of traveling gear as well as a Gucci Cadillac. This car is covered from head to toe with Gucci labeling and came from someone in the United States! Once you have left the travel room you will venture on into the floral world where you will see the beautiful hand panted scarves. Everything in this room is floral printed to show off the gorgeous artwork. Everyone knows and loves Gucci’s handbags. In the next room one can see how the famous “Bamboo Bag” was created. After leaving the handbags you will enter into a dream world of couture. A few of Gucci’s designs are on display with a video showing celebrities wearing them on the red carpet. These creations are spectacular and they let you look and them in person and not through glass! The next room shows off some of Gucci’s most precious purses, jewelry, and other accessories. This room has some absolutely gorgeous items! One of the coolest rooms would have to be logomania because it displays all of the different ways Gucci has made itself know. Whether it is the two “G’s” or the horse bit people know Gucci styles and labels! The last two rooms hold all of the “different” kinds of Gucci products. They have made everything from Picnic baskets to surf boards. These rooms really show how much of an entrepreneur Gucci really was and still is today! 
Inside the beautiful Pitti Palace one can find a costume exhibit displaying fashions from 500 years ago to today. These styles portray what women were wearing during the time of the Medici family as well as other parts of history. Having the exhibit set up in a Palace allows the viewers to fully take in how people lived during those times, by seeing the garment in person as well as seeing the furniture and the artwork. It truly is an amazing experience to see something as cool as clothing from so long ago!
Nestled in the Tuscan region there is a wonderful designer outlet mall. This mall houses many top names like Alexander McQueen and Dior. It is a great place to go to find good deals o designer goods and also to see and touch their clothing without the stress of breaking something. It takes about thirty to forty-five minutes to drive from Florence to “The Mall” so it is well worth the trip! While you are driving through the Tuscan region you get to see the beautiful vineyards and hills of Italy! Italy truly is one of the prettiest countries of the world! Italy is a beautiful and exciting country! Fashion is something that people are very proud of and so is culture. It is easy to get lost in all of the food, leather, and museums and find yourself not wanting to leave!
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