On our way to Milan we fled the Sunday-forbid for Trucks by driving past the Corniche to St-Tropez and at night we went back to the driveway. Alongside the Corniche are very beautiful beaches and small bays, Johnny even went for a swim! The rest of our day we spent looking for 2 Euro coins for the launderette. When we finally found a 2 Euro coin, the dryer seemed to be broken so the camion was filled with wet clothes during the day.
The presentation in Milan on Tuesday went very well. The host, Project arranged a nice room at their client Fisar, a wholesale trader in sanitary and heating. Wednesday we had a ‘study-day’ around the Jaga products in the Experience truck. The next day we visited the city and then we had to move on… Milan - Ljubljana - Zagreb - Belgrado - Sofia… we’re curious about the border passages this time..
Our hosts: Barbara Righini and Fabrizio Aimone from P-Project
Building bridges: Joseph Tochetti from P-Project, talking about Jaga products in the Experience Truck
About the city
World War I
During World War I, Italy first remained neutral but in 1915 the Treaty of London was signed, entering Entente. During the war, 600,000 Italians died, and the economy collapsed. The turbulence that followed the devastations of World War I, led to turmoil and anarchy. In October 1922 a fascist party led by Benito Mussolini attempted a coup to which the king responded by forming an alliance with Mussolini. Over the next few years, Mussolini banned all political parties and formed a dictatorship. In 1935, Mussolini subjugated Ethiopia, which resulted in international alienation and the exodus of Italy from the League of Nations.
World War II
In 1940 Italy entered World War II, after having supported Franco in the Spanish civil war and Hitler's annexations of Austria and the Sudetenland. Mussolini invaded Greece in October 1940 but was forced to accept a defeat after a few months. Italy was invaded by the Allies in June 1943, leading to the collapse of the fascist regime and the arrest of Mussolini. In September 1943, Italy surrendered. Germany immediately invaded its former ally, with the country to become a battlefield for the rest of the war. The country was liberated at April 25 1945.
Rebuilding and growth – Marshall plan
Italy became a republic after a referendum held at June 2 1946, a day that has been celebrated as Republic Day ever since. This was the first election in Italy allowing women to vote. In the 1950s, Italy became a member of the NATO alliance and an ally of the United States, which helped to revive the Italian economy through the Marshall Plan: until the 1960s the country noticed a period of prolonged economic growth termed the "Economic Miracle".
Economic crisis – Years of Lead
From the late 1960s till late 1980s the country experienced a hard economic crisis and the Years of Lead (Italy), a period characterized by widespread social conflicts and terrorist acts. The crisis culminated in the assassination of the Christian Democracy leader Aldo Moro in 1978. In 2001, national elections led to the victory of Silvio Berlusconi, who was able to remain in power for a complete five-year mandate.
Milan the city
As the Second World War came to an end, members of the Italian resistance movement arose in open revolt in Milan and liberated the city. Nearby, Mussolini and several members of his Italian Social Republic were captured and executed. At April 29 1945, their bodies were taken to Milan and hanged at piazzale Loreto, a major public square. The rapid economic growth after the war was accompanied by an increase of the population and the founding of new districts, which has produced some of the milestones in Milan’s architectural history such as the Pirelli Tower (1955-59), the Velasca Tower (1958), the creation of new residential districts and, in recent years, the construction of the new exhibition centre in Rho. Today Milan is a major centre for the production of textile and garments, automobiles (Alfa Romeo), chemicals, industrial tools, heavy machinery, an book and music publishing. Milan is also considered to be the fashion centre of the world. Nowadays Milan undergoes an urban re-design. Construction projects are under way to rehabilitate unused industrial areas on the periphery. Milan will host Expo 2015 as a renewed city in the wake of this modernization (more information about Expo 2015 in Value Report Dream a Future)