Life in the fast lane

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Crowds gather

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The car of Felipe Massa of Brazil and Ferrari sits on the grid.

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Not everyone had a Paddock Pass though. Once I arrived at the forest-enclosed track I was ushered into the Paddock Club marquee. Scan your gold pass across the specially placed electronic machines and you're in. On your left the history begins with the ‘F1Xperience', a whole host of steering wheels, tyres and old and new F1 cars on display you really get a sense of how technology has changed the pace and image of the sport. Next door you can even sit in one of two F1 simulators and take on a series of virtual opponents. Trust me, it's harder than it looks. If you get the chance, make sure you stop off at the Paddock Bar, grab a glass of champagne and soak up some of the atmosphere before the big race.

I then followed my hosts to the Spyker racing team corporate area - a snaking corridor of corporate hospitality from the likes of Ferrari, McClaren, Bridgestone, Williams, Red Bull and Toyota. You've never seen anything like it. It looks like there is more food and drink on offer here than in the whole of Milan's pasta bistros put together.

The view from the corporate box, however, is something else. You have to pinch yourself to realise just how lucky you are to be standing on one of the most exclusive spots in the sporting world. With the infamous diehard ‘tifoso', fans in English, who drape the stand in a sea of red and a gigantic Ferrari flag just before the green lights start the race, any sports fan is in dreamland.

Before the race take advantage of the Club's privileges. Go on one of three available pit lane walks at either 8am (probably too early for some of Milan's party animals), 10.55am or the one I chose at 12.30pm to see the crew and mechanics preparing for 90 minutes of thrilling action. Every precise detail is checked and double checked, engines tested and computer aided technology precisely monitored. Make sure you ask one of the manufacturers if you can have your picture taken in the pits in front of your favoutite car, a great souvenir to show your friends when you get back.

Then stroll back at your own leisure to the corporate hospitality area to enjoy more pre-race build-up and one of the highlights of the trip, meeting the stars behind the wheel. I shook hands and wished Ferrari's Felipe Massa and Kimi Raikkonen the best of luck, while I had the chance to act like a teenager for five minutes and got Spyker's Adrien Sutil and Sakon Yamamoto to autograph my Spyker laptop bag. Overlooking the Ferrari and McClaren pit lanes with a direct view onto the fastest straight in the entire race, the 350kmph start/finish line, I stood there for a good three hours virtually without moving a muscle. The race passed by in a flash and the day was over but the memories will last forever.

If fast cars and Formula One are not your thing, Milan has much to offer those wanting to enjoy the city at a different pace.

Because so many Italian cities are drenched in tourist attractions, Milan is often dismissed as an industrial, polluted and fashion-obsessed northern city-a commercial shell, while the country's soul resides elsewhere. But the Milanese will tell you otherwise. To them Milan is Italy's over-achieving "second city", the financial heart of western Europe's poorest-performing economy, and a seat of power for thousands of years.

Though renowned for its fashion industry, Milan is also home to most of Italy's manufacturing: chemicals, textiles, cars, electronics and aircraft all have strong bases here. Many media, publishing and advertising companies have set up their headquarters in Milan as has, more recently, the high-tech sector. Almost all of Italy's largest private companies, including Pirelli and Fininvest, are here, and the city's stock exchange-the largest in Italy-is supported by a sizeable financial-services sector.

Nestled in the wide Lombardy valley of northern Italy, just south of the Swiss Alps, Milan's wealth and power has a great deal to do with its location, which, as a border region, is both commercially accessible and physically vulnerable. The city owes its commercial prominence to this location in Italy's richest region. Close to the country's European neighbours, the city lies at the heart of an extensive road and rail network and is served by two airports, Malpensa and Linate.

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