The case of Milano
Diverse city. Creative city. CINCLUSIVE CITY
108
Milan’s Chinatown? Canonica-Sarpi neighbourhood
Milan, as any other big global city, has its own Chinatown. The “Area Paolo Sarpi” receives its name form the main street of the neighbourhood. In this area one can find many clothes and food shops, together with typical restaurants. It is also the place where the traditional Chinese New Year is celebrated with the typical masks and cardboard figures. As this can be called “a young phenomenon” -dating mainly from the 20’s- Chinatowns is still target of many prejudices and tension. Part of the resentment may also come from the fact that being the fashion industry so important for the city of Milan, this business suffers from dumping prices, copying and black market in this area. Still, this is THE place where it is possible to find real traditional Chinese food, books and magazines for all the rest of the Chinese population residing in other parts of the city. The problematic of the area has been interesting enough to inspire the documentary/thriller “Giallo a Milano: Made in Chinatown” (2009) directed by Sergio Basso and qualified as “Flm of Cultural Interest” by the Ministero per i Bieni e le Attività Culturali (MiBac).
109