ITALIAN JOURNEY- PROGRAMME 1

MILAN- MILAN BY NIGHT

Once gain James finds himself at the heart of the city, and now he is about to discover Milan’s nightlife.

The actress and singer Elena Andreaoli is just one of Milan’s many workaholics, and she has promised to show James some of the city’s most fashionable places.

It should be an epic evening!

James: So tell me Elena, this bar is great, it’s fantastic- it must be very trendy.

Elena Andreoli: It is Milan’s most fashionable bar- it’s called Roialto and it really fills up in the evenings!

James: Yes, I bet it does. So you’re an actress, aren’t you?

Elena Andreoli: Yes, I am. I’m a theatre actress, and I sing. In fact I sometimes come here to sing.

James: OK! So you’re an actress, you sing, and do you do anything else?

Elena Andreoli: I write! I love writing. When I’m at home I write. I’ve also started working for TV, I write programmes, documentaries…it depends. At the moment it’s just little things.

James: So you lead a modern life?

Elena Andreoli: A stressful life!

James: So tell me, what’s Milan like to live in, I mean for young people?

Elena Andreoti: Well Milan is a very busy city, but in the evenings everybody goes out, and especially in the summer. In the evenings people go to bars, they start at seven with an aperitif, and then carry on through the night.

James: And where do you usually go at night? Is there any particular area you like?

Elena Andreoti: Yes, there are two main areas: the Brera and the Navigli.

James: Oh, I’ve heard of the Navigli!

Elena Andreoti: There are dozens of bars on either side of the river, and in the evenings it gets CRAZY!

James: But it must be fantastic! Can we go and have a look?

Elena Andreoti: Of course. Come with me. There it is!

Before setting him free in the city’s canals, Elena gives James a bit of background information.

James: Now tell me, how long ago did the Navigli quarter start being a popular spot for nightlife?

Elena Andreoti: It goes back to the XIIIth century! In those days there were canals all over Lombardy and its neighbouring counties, all the goods used to come down on barges ended up in Milan. In those days Milan was like Venice, a web of canals. Then in the sixties they covered it all up with tarmac. Only two open-air canals have survived, because today all the rest are hidden underground. So these two canals are all we have left: the Grand Canal and the Canal Pavese. I’ll show them to you.

James: And why did you want to show me this bar we’re in now?

Elena Andreoti: Because this is Milan’s oldest nightclub- it’s been going for twenty years. This pub, ‘The Monkeys’ is where jazz bands come to kickstart their careers.