My business visits to Milan have always been very brief and never gave me enough time to understand what makes this city the economic hub of Italy.
This year the event of the year in the Italian business calendar is Milano Expo 2015, which opened its doors on May 1 and will last for six months. I had great expectations before visiting this ‘world exposition’ – as it was labelled by The Economist.
The theme chosen for this expo is Feeding The Planet; Energy For Life. The run up to the official opening was characteristically chaotic. The international media ran stories of “organised crime involvement in the tendering processes”.
According to The Economist, “a senior expo manager and six businessmen and politicians were arrested on charges of graft”. At least in Italy these kind of gangsters occasionally do get caught!
The grand opening on the night of April 30 was impressive. Six million television viewers saw Andrea Bocelli and Chinese pianist Lang Lang performing in front of Il Duomo in the centre of Milan. The opening ceremony’s excellence convinced me that Expo 2015 was worth visiting even though I gave enough time for the teething problems to be resolved.
Getting to the expo was relatively easy. The metro or a coach from the centre of Milan will get you there in half an hour. Getting inside the convention itself was relatively easy as I had pre-booked tickets even though I had to struggle with thousands of schoolchildren of all ages who I understand came from all parts of Italy. But the expo itself was generally disappointing.
Let me start, however, with the positive aspects. The design of the pavilions representing different countries was marvellous. Even as a complete amateur in art and design, I could not but enjoy the ‘wow’ factor of the pavilions’exterior.
Even as a complete amateur in art and design, I could not but enjoy the ‘wow’ factor of the pavilions’exterior
The interior of the pavilions was a different story. Most seemed to be affected by the air of austerity that seems to have become endemic in most countries. I was particularly disappointed by the stand of Ireland – a country I admire. The continuous streaming of video clips on giant TV screens showing the Emerald Isle’s natural beauty was not the sort of promotion that Ireland – which still has an important agricultural sector – should have sought in a food-related convention.
Another disappointing feature of the Expo 2015 is the multitude of fast food outlets selling over-priced junk food to visitors, especially schoolchildren, when the theme of the convention, at least in part, was the promotion of healthy food.
The general facilities at the fair were relatively good even though I would have expected at least some ATMs for visitors to get their hands on cash.
The much-hyped ‘tree of life’, which was the focal point of the convention, was quite disappointing. The themed parades were amusing, especially for children who love carnival-like spectacles.
For the more intellectual visitors, there was little excitement because of the lack of exhibits to highlight the efforts by different countries to produce more food to feed the multitudes in the coming decades.
As one US visitor told me, a visit to the nearby Lago di Como was a better justification for the thousands of dollars he spent to visit Expo 2015. This comment brings me to my experience of visiting Milan. This city was at its vibrant best: people getting on with their business in a clean city, where transport functions efficiently, and things get done – unlike in some other parts of Italy.
I could not help consulting with the street economists – taxi drivers and waiters – who usually give you a no-nonsense evaluation of the economy of the city they live in. It is obvious that in the northern part of Italy the recession is over. But according to the street economists I consulted, Milan remains an expensive city where low-paid families struggle to make both ends meet.
Hotels in the centre of Milan are still too expensive and the service is at times mediocre. Restaurants serve excellent food but in most cases do not offer good value for money. Yet the city was buzzing with tourists, mainly from China, Japan and the US.
A visit to Expo 2015 is justified only if one combines it with an exploration of Milan itself and a visit to the enchanting Lago di Como.
johncassarwhite@yahoo.com