Ti odio
Milano

Since Milan is a city that follows trends, I would say that now it has also become a trend to say that you hate Milan. It must be said, however, that the city itself has led us to hate it in recent times, for a series of things like «yes, but Milan is expensive», just to mention one. Certainly, there is also the fact that it is no longer a true metropolis; it has become a sort of small town. Milan no longer makes you feel like a special creature that can flourish just like when you moved here to study and it seemed like you had landed in a dream. Milan has become tiresome.

Ti amo
Milano

Unfortunately, our favourite place in the city is not the one that represents us, because we can't afford rent on Viale Maino. Surely we are very fascinated by all that part of the old city, the giant wooden doors, the frescoes with the large chandeliers in the entrances, the Milan of the courtyards with the wisteria that you can only spy from outside. This is the Milan of Corso Magenta, the Milan of Pagano and Conciliazione, the impenetrable Milan. The Milan that represents us, on the other hand, is for example the Isola district, a mix of individuals who come together for various situations. Children coming out of elementary school, students, workers ready for Angela's drink (Cosmo Bar).

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Ti odio
Milano

You hate Milan if you fall victim to the fomo that the city's self-narrative often carries. The moment you decide to take advantage of living here, you understand that its true wealth lies in the quality of the people you meet and the social intelligence you develop. It's also the city's own marketing; the city's stereotypes convey a single message externally: «Don't be ridiculous, Andrea, everyone wants this life, everyone wants to be like us.» And on one hand, it's true: the opportunities you have here don't happen elsewhere, certainly not with the same frequency, but on the other hand, this narrative fuels the performative perception of the city, which instead, to be considered home, must be explored in its most ordinary everyday life.

Ti amo
Milano

When last year the government blocked registrations of children from rainbow families, Milan took to the streets. When last November 25th there was a need to send a civil and political message about femicide, Milan made noise in unison. When I see our community living with an identity of a category that has social weight, when I see women around me separating, having abortions, working, and determining themselves based on non-gender-specific issues: in this, Milan is irreplaceable in Italy. We must not be overshadowed by the historical difficulties of practical life, but become aware of the role that all Milanese people have in contemporary society and participate in this responsibility with awareness and civic sense. Milan welcomes everyone; it's up to us to make it a place where history is still made, inspiring and setting an example.

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Ti odio
Milano

Milan is a mirror of contemporary Western society. A society that changes fast and becomes increasingly fragmented, complex. Our metropolis is an open-air construction site: everything is demolished, everything is built. However, we believe that the change in this city can and should bring something good. And we are still here because we want to be part of all this. People leave this city because there's no sea. Your neighbours don't say hi when they see you. Real estate agents wear horrible suits. You work hard, alas, and it’s not a cliché.

Ti amo
Milano

In this city, you stay because you can meet wonderful people. You can grow. You can eat sandwiches from Bar Quadronno. Because the Madonnina is beautiful.

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Ti odio
Milano

I believe that a person who actually lives in Milan cannot hate it, or at least cannot always hate it. I thought it was those who have never lived in Milan who ask you, «how can you live there,» «it's always grey,» not those who actually live here. Sometimes you might think you hate it, because of a strike just when you needed public transportation, because of the rain just when you were going out for a walk, because of an expensive dinner even though you practically ate nothing. I don't understand, then, what status they gain by saying they hate it, and I find it extremely hypocritical; if it were true, they would have packed their bags already.

Ti amo
Milano

The life I've built here in these past 9 years is what pushes me to stay; I would leave for new experiences and to live in other cities that (at least as a tourist) I loved. I don't have a single favourite place in Milan; I love the architecture of the city, the Liberty buildings and the tenement houses, the entrances of the buildings with the Venini glass, the buildings from the fascist era, but also the 1970s interiors. Maybe that's why, but also because I think about food 24/7, I thought of Oceania as a place I love. I believe that more than the areas you frequent, it's the neighbourhoods you choose to live in that reveal something about yourself.

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Ti odio
Milano

I think in general you can distinguish two different attitudes: there are those who are actually doing fine, but in 2024 still believe that the pose of perpetual dissatisfaction gives them some charm, and those who, having to deal with an increase in the cost of living in no way supported by an increase in wages, find it quite difficult to stay in Milan and rightly complain about it. With the former, outdated yuppies, I have absolutely no interest in dealing with. What scares me is that on social media I see mechanisms reiterated that my classmates at the Liceo Classico Manzoni already put into action when they called me a peasant because I lived in San Siro and not within the circle of the city walls. It seems to me that the idea of a showcase city is being conveyed, made to be photographed and exhibited, when the thing I love most about Milan is its being multifaceted, contradictory, complex, and sometimes even awkward.

Ti amo
Milano

Every time I leave, I feel a shiver, as if something could slip away while I'm not there, as if the Milanese corner that I've carved out over the years could disappear in the time of a weekend. In this place, the city reminds me that Milan belongs to no one, not even to those who (like me) were born here. We must come to terms with it; otherwise, on the outside we may look like those who, after migrating to the city, change their accent and act stressed even on Saturdays: grotesque. Then I come back, get off the train, and feel at home, in a place that is only for passers-by, for those who don't stand still. For those who, in short, resemble Milan. A place that doesn't ask you to stay but that is there.

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Ti odio
Milano

I could never hate my city, even though I recognise countless flaws in it. I think it's more of a status or a way of expressing an emotion tied to a single moment. Milan lives for its peak moments, like fashion or design week, when everyone complains about the chaos, the traffic, the crowds, the lack of taxis; in those moments, I always think about what the city would be like without them and what they bring. We saw the deserted city during the pandemic, and it's certainly not a scenario I wish to see again.

Ti amo
Milano

For years I lived in Piazza del Carmine, in the centre of Brera, one of the most beautiful neighbourhoods in the city centre, a neighbourhood tailored for humans, as are almost all the neighbourhoods in Milan. It's inevitable that the neighbourhood you choose to live in represents you, and for years, Brera represented me fully. I love living in the city, but I also need daily contact with the people who live there, and this often happens in the neighbourhoods of Milan that are micro-realities within the city. By frequenting a neighbourhood, you somehow get adopted by the baker you visit every day, as well as by the florist near home or the bar where you have breakfast every morning. Milan is also this. There are too many places I like: the Brera Academy, Palazzo Morando, Villa Necchi Campiglio, Casa Boschi di Stefano, the Grand Hotel et de Milan and its iconic owner, Mrs. Daniela Bertazzoni...

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Ti odio
Milano

I connect to a recent post from our page milanosulset - "You speak badly of Milan, but you live here." It's cool to say «I'll leave anyway,» but if we look at the statistics, most people come back or stay. I don't believe people really hate it; I think it's all so "situation-dependent"; sometimes people judge an entire city based on the vibe they get in two tourist days downtown. You have to live the city and its different neighbourhoods for years to get a real idea. In the end, Milan represents a nice mix of geographical convenience and job opportunities.

Ti amo
Milano

It makes me stay in Italy, as a country where I speak my first language, eat very well, and where I can quickly reach my family if needed, friends, and work.

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