Mayday in Milan

CRANES dot the skyline in north-west Milan, Italy’s second city. The area is not pretty, but for six months after May 1st it will be home to the World Expo—an event every five years that is a cross between a trade convention and a theme park, and traces its origins to London’s Great Exhibition of 1851.

Expectations are high: 145 countries are participating and 8m tickets, over a third of the total, have been sold to tour operators. The theme, “Feeding the planet, energy for life”, is touted as a spur both for Italian culinary exports and for tackling world hunger.