The Money of Milan

"The Queen of the Bogs", is a piece by William Murray from The Last Italian, if you're expecting the title, or even the introduction paragraph to give you a clear idea of what this piece is about, don't hold your breath. I don't really understand the title, not as a representation of Milan or as a representation of the rest of the piece. However, once you get to the second paragraph of the piece the intention becomes a bit more clear and the piece takes on a meaning. He references a memory from when he previously lived in the city years ago revealing a main focus of the piece and the place, saying, "the strongest memory I've retained from that period is of a constant, hurried coming and going by people impervious to climate and fiercely intent on the day's affairs". The city that many people, local and visiting, refer to as the most "citylike" has gained this reputation primarily for its business reputation, Murray highlights this by telling the reader that, "It's inhabitants pride themselves on their energy and business acumen, on their ability to 'get things done' while making money'".

Not surprisingly for a city based on business, they also have a strong sense of competition and a bit of opposition to another recognition worthy location, the nation's capital, Rome. In Milan's opinion, "Rome...with its Byzantine bureaucracy and squabbling political factions, has always been considered the quintessential example of everything wrong with the society. The feeling here has always been that only Milan, with its energy and entrepreneurial spirit, could triumph over the inertia to the south and continue to keep Italy, at least the northern half of the peninsula, in the vanguard of the world's industrialized economies. 'South of Rome is Africa'". While this section contextualizes the opposition that the Milanese feel towards Rome it also comments on the disparity that occurs within Italy, most notably between the northern and souther hemispheres, where the financial differences are vast to say the least.

If you're like me though you don't think of business, in terms of finance at least, when you first think of Milan, and Murray recognizes this by acknowledging the plethora of things Milan has to offer. "Milan is not merely a commercial center, but, like every other Italian city, has its share of great sights. The Milanese spend a lot of time in and around them. They had a rooted idea that somehow the day has been mismanaged that hasn't put them within walking distance of the historic center..."

While Murray pays ample attention to the positive aspects of Milan he does not neglect the negative side of their city, he admits to the reader that there is a downside to having such a narrow minded, and strict focus on business and income; "In its headlong rush to prosperity, Milan has paid little attention to ecological or environmental considerations....some buildings...are beginning to turn black in the polluted air and some seem to be visibly crumbling before one's eyes". While this certainly doesn't paint a pretty picture, it does portray an accurate one but then Murray transitions by reminding or perhaps informing the reader, "that Milan has never been considered a beautiful city"; quoting a Roman relative who said, "'You don't go to Milan for beauty. You go there to work and that's all". This just goes to show that beauty has not been a priority for Milan, an interesting contradiction to the rest of Italy which seems to be, at sometimes even to a fault, obsessed with beauty, "looking good".

This disjunct contradiction is apparent in other areas of Milanese culture as well, and Murray points these out saying, "Milan seems likely to remain what some local wag once called it, 'an international capital in search of a country.'". This idea of a capital in search of country highlights the disparity between urban affluence and the rest of the majority population, particularly to the South, it's just an entirely different world. Murray continues to emphasize this point by adding, "And the city's ferocious concentration on materialism also has its compensations. The Milanese, only about 1.5 million strong, account for less than 7 percent of Italy's population, but 28 percent of the country's national income". This is a pretty astonishing statistic, if the facts don't lie this is hard evidence that whatever Milan is doing, it's working.

He later shifts from commerce to consumption, in the form of fashion and teenage gangs, referred to as paninari. These youngsters as one Milanese person remarks are not doing anything unusual or groundbreaking they are merely mirroring the societal standards set before them. These are standards which find it normal for teenagers to wear outfits that cost, at the minimum, $800, and where, "money-saving imitations of the genuine article will not pass; immediate ostracism is the fate of any would-be paninaro who tries to sneak a counterfeit article past the watchful eyes of his contemporaries". While this might seem extravagant or harsh, it's very telling of the nature of Milan, they wouldn't be where they are today if they let a business of cheap counterfeits pass for the real thing; they are hard working and demand excellence, which in turn reaps excellent results.