Taking a stroll around Milan (or any other Italian town or city for that matter) is an excellent way of getting to know some fascinating people. Now just in case you thought, from the title, that this was going to be a piece revealing all about those boys and girls you see posed along the pavement, or casually cruising the corners, well -- sorry. (I often wonder too, I must say.) This time around, I wanted to talk about the fact that the Italian tradition of naming streets after individuals, as well as giving you their dates and what they were noted for, gives you the chance to learn a few things as you go on your merry way.
You only have to visit two or three places to notice that, for example, a certain Mr Cadorna is a famous bod. If you look him up you find that he was part of a military dynasty. His dad (one Raffaele) took Rome in 1870, while he, Luigi, was the commander-in-chief of the Italian army fighting against Austria between 1915 and 1917. There's also Messrs Cavour, Mazzini, and Garibaldi, to name but a few.
Then there are the local boys made good. Obviously each city has them. We know that Alessandro Manzoni was a big noise in Milan because the main street is named for him. It might not make you rush off to read I Promessi Sposi, but it might.
Let's not forget the local girls too. Streets named after women in Milan are few, but there are some. Right by Via Piacenza, there's Via Gaetana Agnesi. According to my Chamber's Biographical Dictionary, Ms Agnesi was "remarkable alike as a linguist, philosopher, mathematician, and theologian, who, when her father was disabled, took his place as professor of mathematics at Bologna." All the more remarkable, I would say, as she was born in 1718!
I find that having streets named after people makes you associate them with them, if you see what I mean. There's Via Archimede for a start. Named for a chap who leapt from his bath and ran down the street shrieking "Eureka!", as you will recall. What the passers-by shrieked is not reported. Stoic and ascetic the ancient Greeks might have been, but having dingle dangles fly by without benefit of bath-towel was surely enough to raise an eyebrow, if not a comment.
Quite what Bartolomeo Eustachi did after having discovered his "tube" is also not on record. Apart from anything else, he had his moment of glory much later than Archimedes -- in the 16th century in fact. At this point, there were probably laws against such spontaneous displays of enthusiasm. It is also equally unlikely that, whatever he did to celebrate, actually occurred in the street named for him in Milan. Oh, and by the way, if no Italian laughs when you say "Non si fa un tubo in Via Eustachi", that's because a) it's not true and b) they call it a "tromba di Eustachi". Don't ever say that Hello Milano doesn't cater to all aspects of the cross-cultural experience.
While on the subject of tubes, let's not forget Via Falloppio. I guess we can all work out what Mr F., who was born in Modena in 1523 and died in Padua a mere 39 years later, is famous for. This street is near Via Ampere, which of course commemorates the famous Frenchman who gave us amps. Mr Ohm, on the other hand, who happened to be German, actually gets a piazza all to himself, albeit in the post code area 20143 which is right the way out at La Barona. That's probably because he is not considered as famous as Mr Volt or, to give him his correct name, Volta. First name Alessandro. This bright spark, who gave us all manner of things including batteries -- and
where would we be without those? -- was born and died in Como, doing the former in 1745 and the latter in 1827. Not only are we reminded of this chap when we buy our Duracells but also when we take out the ten-thousand lire note to pay for them. For there, on the back, is the Tempio Voltiano.
Which, if you know about these things, looks Palladian and reminds us that there is a Via Palladio in Milan. This is located right next to Via Giulio Romano and that, in turn, brings to mind the fact that this Rome-born 16th-century artist is one of handful who, in English, are known by their first names. Like Guido (Reni), Michelangelo (Buonarroti) and Piero (della Francesca) all of whom can be encountered, to this day, in the streets of Milan. If you know where to look, that is. And one could go on and on, and I probably could.
But I will spare you. Just one last thought, though. If anyone can tell me who Mr Giuseppe Piolti De Bianchi was, I would be delighted to know. That's where I live, don't you know.
This piece was contributed by Roberta Kedzierski, a Milan-based translator, copywriter, and journalist whose working day alternates between pounding the portable and pounding the pavements, as this piece reveals.
