IEEE Geoscience and Remote Sensing Magazine - December 2014 - 79

Leonardo's "Last Supper" in Santa Maria delle Grazie.

Shopping in Milan will suit everyone's taste.

The Navigli area.
Last Supper, the Cenacolo di Leonardo, with an imposing
Renaissance tribune added in 1492. In the oldest part of
the church (in the Gothic style) are frescoes by Gaudenzio
Ferrari and Marco d'Oggiono, as well as a monument to
Ludovico il Moro. The 15th century "Madonna delle Grazie" in the left chapel of the tribune was much venerated
during the plagues of the 16th and 17th century. In the
chapel on the right was Titian's "Crowning with thorns",
which the French took to Paris in the late 18th century,
now in the Louvre.
Besides its monuments, Milan is also well known for
its stylish and lively areas. The Navigli, canals lined by
narrow alleyways and traditional houses with communal balconies, and the city's "green oases", with their
picnic, entertainment and sports areas, preserve the feel
of yesteryear Milan. Although far from Italy's great rivers and seas, Milan, like Venice, was for many centuries
a navigable city due to an intricate system of canals that
once crisscrossed the city. Back then, the city had a circular canal-the Cerchia dei Navigli-connected to three
small ports: Santo Stefano (now Piazza Santo Stefano),
San Marco (Piazza San Marco) and Sant'Eustorgio, which
later became the Darsena di Porta Ticinese (Basin of Porta
Ticinese). Connected to the Cerchia dei Navigli through
the Conca dei Navigli, still visible today in the street of
December 2014

ieee Geoscience and remote sensing magazine

the same name, the Darsena's waters flow in from the
Naviglio Grande and then out again into the Naviglio
Pavese (the two canals flow in opposite directions), thus
creating a "water circuit" that for centuries constituted
the city's main means of provisioning and trade, through
flat-bottomed barges drawn by horses (or men, when
required) along the so-called Alzaie, or towpaths. Today,
the first stretch of the Naviglio Grande-the oldest of the
two navigable canals, dating back to the 13th century-
still features its characteristic low-rise period buildings,
and is enlivened by numerous venues, pubs and restaurants, making it one of the city's trendiest areas.
When it comes to shopping in Milan one primarily
thinks of fashion; after all, this is nerve centre of the "Made
in Italy" industry. The showrooms of all Italian manufacturers are located here, and it's where buyers for worldwide
distribution find the one and only "Italian style". Milanese
fashion is about luxury, but it also offers innovative ideas.
Outside the fashion district-a must for those who want to
buy designer apparel and accessories-almost everything
can be found, from large international brands to small
boutiques. But shopping in Milan also means exploring
the many local open-air markets where all kinds of goods
can be purchased, from groceries to clothing, and where
one can look for furniture, decorative items and works of
art amongst the numerous antique shops in the Brera and
Navigli areas.
While the highlight describe above give a measure of
Milan's attractiveness, there is indeed a lot more to it than
this. Other wonderful places will delight IGARSS attendees,
such as the original Sforza castle, built in 1368 and hosting
10 museum (works on display include Michelangelo's Pietà
Rondanini); Pinacoteca di Brera, one of the most important
Italian art galleries; Teatro alla Scala, the famous opera house,
designed by Piermarini, inaugurated in 1778. We warmly
79

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of IEEE Geoscience and Remote Sensing Magazine - December 2014