5-Year Urban Renewal Planned for Milan

(above, a portion of the "Progetto Porta Nuova")

Milan, Italy's second biggest city (pop. 1.3 million), is set for an all-out construction boom, bent on turning itself into an European economic powerhouse. Milan is one of the three points of Italy's economic "triangle" (the other points being Genoa and Turin), and is a center of fashion, telecommunications, media and La Borsa Italiana, Europe's 5th biggest Stock Exchange with a market capitalization $1.07 trillion. With a possible NYSE Euronext takeover in the works, Sheva possibly on his way back to AC Milan, and Carnaroli more popular than ever, Milan hopes to grow bigger (and better) thanks to the proposed $2.5 billion investment.

(above, the Milanese skyline)

The architects (25 of them), local politicians and property investors are calling the 5-year urban renewal plan "Progetto Porta Nuova" -- Project New Door, and are presumably doing so in the hopes that the construction booms leads "opens doors" toward the internationalization of the city. Progetto Porta Nuova focuses on economic centers, but also gives ample room to parks and residential housing.

Above, two cranes rest in the fuschia-tinged Milanese dusk after a hard day's work.

Napoli Drowning in Trash

Modern-day Napoli is known by Italians and tourists alike to be a chaotic, dangerous, beautiful place, but also one with a serious trash problem. The problem has recently grown so wildly out of control, that this week the Italian government estimated that are 2,700 tons of trash on the streets of Napoli.

The President of Italy (appropriately named Napolitano) has called it a situazione tragica -- a tragic situation -- stating that in the current (and recently improved) measures have been effective in combatting the trash problem, but not nearly enough. In certain neighborhoods of the city schools have threatened closure, because the schools were "immersed in trash".

(Above, a library in Napoli fighting to stay afloat in a sea of trash)

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