Milan in the Snow - 1978 Vintage Photography

Tourists often ask: "Does it snow in Milan?" Nowadays, with climate change, real snow is rare. It turns to slush quickly. But ask any Milanese over 50, and they will get a misty look in their eyes and say: "The Snow of '85" or "The Winter of '78".

The Frozen City

This image captures the essence of a Milanese winter in 1978.

The city stops. The usual chaotic noise of traffic is dampened by the white blanket. The sharp, jagged outlines of the Gothic cathedral are softened. In the photo, you see the tram driver leaning forward, fighting visibility. The tracks are icy. There is no automated heating. It is man and machine against the elements.

A Different Pace

When it snowed like this, schools closed. Kids took sleds to the Montagnetta di San Siro (a small artificial hill). People walked in the middle of the empty streets. For a brief moment, the industrious, money-making city of Milan became a silent, magical village.

Today, if you visit in December or January, you are more likely to see fog (scighera) than deep snow. But the atmosphere—the roasted chestnut stalls, the collar-up coats—remains.