The 28th Annual EAU Congress marks a return to Northern Italy after the EAU first convened in Milan in 2008. As Italy's second city and industrial heartland, Milan is an important centre for medical and biotechnical research. The offices of the EAU’s own European Urology journal are located here. Combined with its rich cultural heritage and modern infrastructure, these qualities make it most suitable to hosting the Congress.

History

Milan has always been an important regional centre, going right back to Roman times. For about a century, Milan was the seat of the Western Roman emperors. Its location in the north of Italy, as a gateway to the rest of Europe has consistently meant it was a prosperous trading town. In the middle ages, industry was focussed on armaments and wool.

For many centuries, Milan was a Spanish and then Austrian Habsburg possession. It successfully broke from Austrian rule in 1859 and joined the process of Italian unification that ended in 1870. Following the Second World War, Milan was the centre of the Italian economic miracle. Its population was greatly boosted by labour immigration from the South.

The City

Nowadays, Milan is Italy’s centre of banking, industry and innovation. Together with its suburbs and surrounding towns, it is one of the largest metropolitan areas in Europe.

Milan has for several decades been considered a centre of fashion, with its designers reaching a worldwide audience in the latter half of the twentieth century. It hosts not one, but two world-class football teams, in the shape of A.C. Milan and Inter Milan.

The city pays host to centuries of impressive architecture: churches range from early medieval basilicas to the gothic splendour of Milan Cathedral. This is Italy’s largest cathedral, not counting St Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City.

The industrialisation of Italy has also shaped Milan. This is reflected in other architectural  highlights, which include the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II arcade, Milano Centrale railway station and the iconic modernist Torre Velasca skyscraper.

Milan is also an important cultural centre: the wealth of its inhabitants has allowed them to patronise Europe’s biggest artists. Leonardo Da Vinci, for instance, painted the famous mural “The Last Supper” in Milan, which can be visited upon appointment. His presence is also felt in Italy’s largest technology museum, the Leonardo da Vinci Science and Technology Museum. Among its large collections and exhibits is a gallery with Da Vinci’s drawings, and models of his inventions.

Getting to Milan

As a major population centre, and as the industrial heartland of Italy, Milan has excellent connections for international travel.

Milan is a major hub in Italy’s high speed rail network. It is also connected, through regular services to Europe’s high speed rail network. International trains come from France, Switzerland and Austria.

Three airports serve the greater Milan area. At 45km from the city centre, Orio al Serio mainly hosts budget airlines. Malpensa Airport, at 40km is the main hub for (long-distance) international airlines and Linate Airport, at 8km serves domestic and short-haul flights. All airports have bus connections to Milan, and Malpensa has its own train station.

More information on getting to the congress venue >