Want to Stroll Via Monte Napoleone?

Aug. 17, 2010 - PRLog -- Milan is known as one of the fashion capitals of the world, fashion shows are held here, models live here in some of the most expensive villas in Italy and it is here where you will find one of the leading streets in international fashion rivalling - if not beating - Paris' Rue du Faubourg-Saint-Honoré, Rome's Via Condotti, London's Bond Street or Oxford Street, and Florence's Via de' Tornabuoni.

Via Monte Napoleone is dubbed 'Montenapo' by the Milanese, is an expensive street in Milan and is famous for its ready to wear fashion and jewellery shops. It is considered the most important street of the Milan fashion District known as Quadrilatero della moda, as this is where many well known fashion designers have their high end small shops and there are stores from Italian designers to all the world famous brands.

The street's roots come from Roman city walls erected by Emperor Maximian. In 1783 a financial institution known as the 'Monte Cmaerale di Santa Teresa' opened here in Palazzo Marliani, its function was to manage public debt. In 1786 the street was named after the Monte. In 1796 the bank had closed due to unfortunate circumstances but reopened in 1804 when Milan was the capital of the Napoleonic Italian Republic, now named as the Monte Napoleone. This is where the street derived its name from. At the beginning of the nineteenth century the street was entirely rebuilt into a Neoclassical way, with palaces taken up by the upper class. Buildings well known from this period are the Palazzo Melzi di Cusano, the Palazzo Gavazzi, the Casa Carcassola, and the Palazzetta Tarverna. Also the Palazzo Marliani which was built much earlier was preserved was considered as one of the finest houses to survive the era of the Sforza - that was until its destruction during the Allied bombing campaign of 1943.

It was after World War II that this street became a fashion hotspot. It was also on this street that the oldest cafés and confectioner's in the city - Caffè Cova - was  relocated to this street. This is one of the countries most famous and ancient pasticcerie, or delicatessens and coffee houses. It's been so successful over the past century that it has opened franchises in Asia and opened a delicatessen aboard the American Celebrity Cruises which helps spread their name across the seas.

Some of the shops and showrooms that you will be able to find on the street are some of the big names in fashion such as Gucci, Dolce & Gabbana, Prada, Louis Vuitton and Dior. It draws parallel with Via della Spiga, Via Sant'Andrea and Viam Pietro Verri which makes up the Quadrilateral of fashion. Unlike Via della Spiga which is mostly pedestrian, Via Monte Napoleone is open to traffic and has a side walk on each side of the road for its whole length. The roads are fully paved for the whole street. It is considered a landmark of personal shoppers as it is full of luxury shops and showrooms.




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