Tucked up in the North of Italy, its physical location putting it closer some say to the heart of Europe than the heart of Italy, Milan is Italy's business and finance capital. It's a frenetic, fast metropolis whose population of 1.5 millions doubles in size each day as the city fills with commuters and tourists. And the city is also rich; it produces one quarter of the country's GNP and is responsible for one third of all its exports.

Milan is capital of Lombardy, the fourth largest of Italy's twenty-one regions. Like all the regions of the peninsula, Lombardy has an international history. It takes its name from the German Longobardi, the long beards, who ruled the area between the sixth and the fourteenth century. They were followed by the Spanish, the Austrians and the French. Like most of the regions, Lombardy's geography is a combination of plains, mountains and water, with the Alps forming the mountains and the Lakes Como, Garda, Maggiore et al supplying the abundant waterfront.

Through the plains flows the River Po, which has provided fertile land and water for irrigation, making Lombardy one of Italy's most agriculturally productive regions. Many visitors have been surprised to see fog lift from the plains to reveal swathes of mirror-like paddy fields - one of the principal crops of the region is rice. It's the chief ingredient in the classic 'risotto milanese', a warming, creamy dish of rice flavoured with butter, marrowbone and saffron.

Another culinary classic from Milan is 'panettone', the Christmas celebration cake whose curved form is supposed to be modelled on the dome of the duomo. Lombardy is also the region we need to thank for some of Italy's tastiest cheeses, among them 'marscapone', 'taleggio', 'grana padano' and 'gorgonzola'.

The workers of the area must surely eat well. But the migrants from all over Italy that moved here in the twentieth century, like those featured in the classic Visconti film 'Rocco e i suoi fratelli', were looking to work not in the fields but in the new industrial plants. Industry characterises the region, with steel, chemical, textile and printing plants, but Milan also leads Italy in the service industries. It is home to most of Italy's banking and financial services, and it competes only with Paris for the title of International Fashion Capital. It's little wonder the Milanese are so famously proud.

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