Milan, with over one million inhabitants, represents 3% of the Italian population and is the heart of one of the largest metropolitan areas in Europe, as well as the second university city in Italy which generates approximately 10% of the Italian GDP. The city's main development drivers are finance, education and creative industries, among which Milan is internationally famous for fashion and style, architecture, design, entertainment and advertising.

Milan has always had a long and rich literary tradition and a dynamic publishing scene. It was the birthplace of great authors, hosted Nobel Prize winners, such as Dario Fo, and welcomed writers from the rest of Italy and abroad, such as Stendhal and Hemingway. It has seen the birth and development of the major national publishing houses and is still the headquarters of the main Italian publishing concentrations, of important national newspapers and of the first national literary agency. Strengthened by this tradition, Milan has a great experience of international events for literature and publishing professionals, literary festivals and book fairs - including BookCity and Bookpride - literary magazines and blogs, prizes for new talents, schools and courses creative writing, programs for young writers and readers. The tradition of public-private cooperation in political and cultural life has produced several partnerships, the most important of which is the Milan Pact for Reading, a tool aimed at restoring value to the act of reading as an essential part of a new idea of ​​citizenship. In 2015, the city also played a key role in the creation of "Le Cities of the Book", the Italian network that connects cities with programs to promote literature and reading as a tool for improving the quality of life. 

Since 2014, the city has had a Smart City strategy that involves various stakeholders, with the aim of strengthening innovative startups and creative companies.