Bridging Cultures: What Milan and Eindhoven Share
Would you be surprised if I told you that, in the six years I’ve lived in Eindhoven (Netherlands), I’ve often thought about my city, Milan (Italy)? Maybe you’d think it’s nostalgia… But no, not at all! If anything, I felt at home — or at least, not too far away. That’s because Milan and Eindhoven have a lot in common.
Sure, there are differences, but here, let’s focus on what connects these two cities and what they share.
The two cities are located in Europe, roughly 1,000 kilometers (about 621 miles) apart along a north-south axis, with the entire route connected by highways. Picture it on a map: starting in Milan, you head north into Switzerland, passing through Basel. From there, you cross into Germany, following the Rhine Valley and passing cities like Freiburg, Karlsruhe, and Koblenz. Finally, you reach Venlo in the Netherlands, and just a short drive later, you’re in Eindhoven.
1. WATER
Water is the first similarity between Milan and Eindhoven.
Eindhoven has its feet in the water, while Milan seems to float on it.
Legend has it that Milan was founded by a nomadic Gallic tribe that roamed between the Po Valley and the Alps. One day, their wagons got stuck — something that happened often in the swampy terrain. Frustrated by constantly pulling their carts out of the ever-present mud, the Gauls decided to settle right there, in what is now Milan. This legend comes from none other than Dario Fo, the great playwright and actor who won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1997 “for emulating the jesters of the Middle Ages, scourging authority and championing the dignity of the oppressed.”
As you can see, even the story of Milan’s origins reveals something about the city’s character. There’s nothing grand or melodramatic here — no twins abandoned and suckled by a wolf, no tales of fratricide. Just a group of nomads, fed up with the mud and tired of wandering, deciding to stay put. Milan doesn’t go for easy emotional drama!
From the 5th or 4th century a.C., the city grew steadily but in a chaotic, circular fashion typical of the Gauls — none of the neat, rational grid patterns of Greek or Roman cities, with their beautiful cardo (the vertical axis) and decumanus (the horizontal axis). That would come later. In the 1st century a.C., the Romans arrived and brought Milan into a new era.
The Navigli: Highways Before the Age of Horsepower
Milan has always floated on water: three rivers flow through the city — the Olona, the Seveso, and the Lambro. In the 12th century, people began digging canals and building docks. The dock you see in this beautiful print is known as “Santo Stefano’s Dock.”
The dock known as the “Laghetto di Santo Stefano” was created at the end of the 14th century to solve the problem of transporting marble blocks from the Naviglio Grande dock to the construction site of the Cathedral. In 1857, the hospital’s health officer — whose office was only a few steps away — ordered the dock to be permanently buried for sanitary reasons. Today, the only reminder is the name of the street: Via Laghetto. Since the 1930s, what was once Milan’s main hospital, the Ca’ Granda, has become the University of Milan.
The Navigli are a testament to Milan’s deep-rooted commercial vocation, which dates back to the 11th and 12th centuries. The Naviglio Grande, the oldest canal, began construction in 1177.
Originally designed for agricultural irrigation, over time it became a vital trade route, enabling the transport of goods, including the marble used to build the Duomo.
Centuries later, Leonardo da Vinci contributed to this network by designing an innovative system of locks, further enhancing its functionality and efficiency. These canals turned Milan into a strategic hub of trade, linking it to rivers, lakes, and beyond. A system with incredible staying power — the Naviglio Grande in Milan stopped all commercial activities as late as 1973!
By the way, did I mention that Eindhoven has its own canals too? Just think of the Canal Dike! A long trade route in an industrial district that is now undergoing a transformation.
2. WEATHER
And here we are at the second thing Milan and Eindhoven share: the climate. Milan may be in Italy, but don’t expect Mediterranean vibes — its climate is decidedly continental, just like Eindhoven’s! Wet and foggy in winter, sultry and unbearable in summer. The only difference? The wind! While Milan’s sky is static and dull, Eindhoven’s is alive — always moving, with light that shifts and changes, putting on a spectacular show all on its own!
3. BOERI, THE ARCHITECT
The third thing is Boeri’s studio. Architect Stefano Boeri is involved in the requalification of the former Philips factory area, which is no longer in operation. It’s not disappearing, but rather transforming — changing its skin. Just like the Pirelli area and the Bicocca district in Milan!
But we’ll talk more about that in a moment.
4. THE GOLDEN AGE
Both cities share a magical moment in their history. Milan and Eindhoven have in common the great manufacturing and commercial vitality of the 19th century. In Eindhoven, it was Philips and everything that revolved around it. In Milan, it was Pirelli and many other large factories.
Sure, the golden age of the Netherlands was the 17th century, while Milan was already a manufacturing and commercial hub in the 11th century — and even earlier, as the capital of the Roman Empire in the 3rd century.
But as we said at the beginning, let’s focus on affinities, not differences.
Trade and manufacturing have shaped the identity of both Eindhoven and Milan, just as they once defined the Netherlands during its Golden Age.
A visit to the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam is all it takes.
Rembrandt The Syndics of the Drapers’ Guild (1662)
The members of the guild are captured at work, perhaps examining a catalog — there’s a book open on the table in front of them. But then, unexpectedly, one of them stands up and turns toward us. It’s as if we’ve entered their room, their gaze meeting ours. A glance that transcends time, bridging the past and the present in one brief shining moment. This is the magic of art. It breaks down the barriers of time, erases them. The shared gaze makes the past and future disappear. Everything exists right here, right now.
Interesting for us the term guild. In English it corresponds to the Italian arte (as in Florence) or paratico (in Milan), referring to the associations that regulated professions and ensured quality. Like the syndics in Rembrandt’s painting, these cities remind us that industry and creativity go hand in hand, forming the backbone of their shared histories and futures.
Frans Hals
Visiting the Rijksmuseum I came across Frans Hals. It was a coup de foudre. The painter represents husband and wife. This image speaks volumes.
Husband and wife are a team. There’s a clear sense of confidence and mutual trust between them — you can see it in the way her hand rests confidently on his shoulder. And she — a woman! — clearly plays an important role.
They look happy, content with their day. These are people who know how to live well: they’ve had a good lunch, and they’re dressed nicely, but without being ostentatious. The lace collar may be a touch fancy, but her cap is modest and practical — no gold threads or pearls in that reticella!
They don’t flaunt their wealth, though it must be considerable.
I was looking at this Frans Hals painting when something extraordinary happened: the Flemish portrait suddenly merges with a modern photograph I took myself — it is my parents! Grounded and ambitious in the best sense of the word. They know how to act with integrity, pursuing their goals while working as a team. Just like in the painting, they share the same gesture of trust: my mother’s hand gently resting on my father’s shoulde
5. FROM MARKETS TO RIGHTS.
The Mercantile Mindset and Its Modern Legacy.
The aspiration for freedom develops in a commercial environment as the freedom to conduct one’s own business without hindrance. But its ethical foundations foster an ever-growing sensitivity to individual rights. Within a few centuries, the great revolutions in England, America, and France firmly established the concept of human rights, ushering in the age we now live in: the age of rights, the age of equality.
The social conflicts of the 19th century ultimately led to the rise of socialist parties. In 1914, Milan elected its first socialist mayor, Emilio Caldara. This marked the progressive expansion of electoral rights, the establishment of public education, and the emergence of a singular idea — perhaps the most revolutionary of all: the equality of women and men.
6. PILLARS OF THE MERCANTILE SPIRIT
Let’s take a look at the key pillars of the mercantile spirit that still hold strong today. Of course, as always with human characteristics, positive traits inherently carry their negative counterparts. The ambition to break free from poverty also harbors greed. Flexibility and the ability to adapt can also translate into cynicism, and so on. Perhaps it is a matter of balance — a fluid and elusive measure, difficult to define. Here, as we have noted, we aim to describe the positive meaning of mercantile values, with human labor at their core.
The Joy of Work
Work as a source of satisfaction, both for the results it brings and for the act itself. It’s not about focusing on toil or pain, but on realizing a vision and experiencing the happiness that comes from it. Think of the couple in Frans Hals’ painting, or even my own parents: they work, they enjoy it, and they build meaningful relationships through it.
To illustrate these ideas, consider the story of Pirelli in Milan. Three snapshots of its journey: from the small factory in Via Ponte Seveso in 1872, to the large factory seen in aerial photos from the 1970s, to its current smaller, but thriving, presence.
The area around Pirelli’s Bicocca district has undergone dramatic redevelopment over the past three decades. Similarly, in Eindhoven, the old Philips industrial site hasn’t vanished — it’s been reimagined. Philips retains its headquarters, and the transformation of the Strijp-S area is a remarkable urban revolution, continuing to evolve.
Work as Energy
This concept of work extends to one’s craft or trade. Excelling in your profession, whether it’s baking bread, running a shop, teaching, performing heart surgery, or anything else,… matters greatly in this context. What doesn’t matter is where you come from, your family background, or your religion.
The painting I’ve chosen, The City Rises by Umberto Boccioni, captures the idea of industry as a positive, life-affirming energy capable of profoundly transforming the world. As Steve Jobs famously said, to ‘make a dent in the universe’ might be one way to describe this force of transformation.
Work and Money
Lastly, the idea of work is closely tied to the acquisition of wealth. Take Rembrandt, Frans Hals, or even my parents as examples. These are grounded, pragmatic individuals who aspire to live well — and for them, it’s clear: it’s better to be rich than poor! However, they’ve earned their wealth through consistent effort, determination, and prudence. Their success commands respect — they enjoy what they have, but never flaunt it or waste their resources.
Take, for example, Villa Necchi Campiglio in Milan, located on Via Mozart, with its magnificent park in one of the city’s most prestigious areas. The Necchi family, makers of industrial sewing machines in the 1930s, wanted a villa with a garden and a pool (the first private pool in Milan). Architect Piero Portaluppi created this masterpiece — pleasant, comfortable, undeniably luxurious, yet with an unassuming and almost hidden entrance, deliberately avoiding ostentation. It’s a perfect reflection of their values: luxury earned through hard work, but always with a sense of modesty.
BALLO EXCELSIOR
Eindhoven is where the future finds its home, with companies like ASML and the Technische Universiteit Eindhoven at the forefront. Milan, too, shares this role as a beacon of innovation.
Today, Milan stands as a vibrant hub of knowledge and progress, home to six universities and a thriving research ecosystem. Eindhoven may be smaller, with just 200,000 inhabitants, but it punches well above its weight in innovation. Milan’s metropolitan area, with its population of 3.25 million, offers a broader platform for research and development.
As a tribute to this triumph of knowledge, I leave you with the notes of Ballo Excelsior, which first premiered at La Scala in 1881. The ballet celebrates the victory of science over superstition, a theme that has resonated with me ever since I translated Lucretius. I’ve always admired the confident spirit that permeates Ballo Excelsior, but I am not naïve: I know that many people still choose the comfort of darkness over the harsh light of knowledge.
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Editor’s note. The original text is in Italian (it is available on italianacontemporanea.com). ChatGPT assisted the Author in translating into English.