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The history of Milan begins with a Celtic settlement in 400 BC. It was conquered by the Romans in 222 BC and later became the capital of the Western Roman Empire. As the Empire declined in the following centuries, many different groups invaded the city, including the Visigoths, the Huns and the Lombards. During the Middle Ages, Milan flourished as a commercial hub. From the 13th and 15th centuries, the powerful Visconti family ruled and brought a period of glory and wealth to the city. In 1386, the magnificent Duomo Cathedral was built. Although Milan developed as an important city of the Renaissance from the 15th century, it unfortunately had to clash with the French, Spanish and Austrian rulers until Italian the unification in 1871. The Kingdom of Italy had, in fact, been proclaimed by Napoleon at the beginning of the 19th century, but when its occupation ended in 1814, the region of Lombardy, including its capital, Milan, came under Austrian control, with Austrians leaving in 1859 after numerous uprisings. Although Rome was designated capital after the final phase of unification, Milan became the true economic and cultural leader of Italy. It was developed on a key industrial base, with rail links expanding into the city and its banks dominating the country economically. Actually, the fascist leader Benito Mussolini emerged in Milan in the early 20th century. He and his followers marched to Rome in 1922, taking control of the country. As the centre of Italian fascism, Milan was heavily bombarded by the Allies during World War II. It is a miracle that so many historical treasures from that period survived, including the opera "La Scala", "Castello Sforzesco" and Da Vinci's "Last Supper". After the war, the population grew as southern immigrants came to seek work and modern skyscrapers such as the Velasca and Pirelli towers began to appear. By the 1980s, many fashion houses were based in the city (including Armani, Versace and Dolce & Gabbana) became a global success and Milan became one of the world's leading fashion capitals.
