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Italy Chronicles

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Home » Italy » A Sign of Changing Cultural Times in Milan

A Sign of Changing Cultural Times in Milan

March 13, 2016 by Alex Roe

I saw this advert on a post office window in Milan, Italy, and thought it reflected how times are changing in Italy.

The Chinese are now running all manner of businesses in Italy. In the Via Paolo Sarpi area of Milan, there are Chinese run electronics stores, electronics repair stores, jewellers, supermarkets, cake shops. wholesale and retail fashion stores, selling everything from shoes clothes and accessories for both adults and children. The Chinese ecosystem is extensive and growing.

Chinese post office advert Milan
Chinese post office advert Milan

Then there are the ubiquitous Chinese restaurants. There’s even a tie up between a long established Italian butchers and a new Chinese dumpling store. The Chinese make the dumplings and the filling comes from the butchers. Note that dumplings are ravioli here in Italy. Judging from the queues outside the dumpling kiosk – it’s not a traditional store – this Chinese-Italian culinary cooperation is working.

Move away from Milan’s Chinese quarter – which has been around for over 100 years – the first Chinese came to Milan to work on the 1906 Expo – and you’ll find Chinese run coffee bars as well as electronics repair stores and restaurants.

The Chinese presence in Milan began in the early 2000s but the expansion is continuing today. That the local post office is showing ads in Chinese shouldn’t come of much of a surprise.

Curiously, while Italy’s nationalists rail against kebab and other ethic food outlets, they don’t complain about Chinese the ever increasing presence of Chinese rune retail and food outlets. Very odd. Italy tax men have been scratching their heads wondering what the Chinese do with all the cash they earn. Not all of it enters Italy’s tax system by all accounts.

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Filed Under: Italy Tagged With: Culture

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Comments

  1. PAOLA says

    March 27, 2016 at 7:27 pm

    I think the Chinese community in Milan/via Paolo Sarpi is one of the oldest in Italy…I read an article about it, but I don’t find it anymore. Anyway, Paolo Sarpi is the place you go to get your broken telephone screen changed quickly!

  2. KareninCalabria says

    March 14, 2016 at 12:48 am

    Next, you’ll have to translate your popular posts on the Italian postal system into Chinese!

    • Alex Roe says

      March 18, 2016 at 11:18 pm

      Ha! If only I knew Chinese, Karen – but it may not be necessary – I’ve heard a few Chinese in Milan speaking rather good English.

      Cheers,

      Alex

  3. Ivonne Davila says

    March 13, 2016 at 4:35 pm

    Nice to have read this article as I’ll be flying into Milan on 3/20-27/2016 so good to know about such a different aspect to visit…be well 😉

  4. Stephen says

    March 13, 2016 at 11:55 am

    Check out Prato next time you are down Firenze way.

    • Alex Roe says

      March 13, 2016 at 2:19 pm

      Have heard about Prato, Steve. Sounds a lot like my corner of Milan.

      Best,

      Alex

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