The Glitzy Quaintness of World’s Fairs: Expo Milano 2015

When I was 10 years old, my parents woke us up early, loaded us into the car, and drove us across the Canadian border for a busy day at Expo ’86 in Vancouver, B.C. It was a fun day learning about world cultures, ogling the cutting-edge architecture, and getting very, very tired. But even then, going to a world’s fair felt old-fashioned.

In a more idealistic age, world expositions represented the pinnacle of human achievement. They were big stages for big ideas: The Eiffel Tower, Barcelona’s Magic Fountains, Brussels’ Atomium, New York City’s Unisphere, Seattle’s Space Needle, Alexander Graham Bell’s telephone, George Ferris’ giant wheel, Rudolf Diesel’s engine, and Pablo Picasso’s Guernica were all unveiled at world’s fairs.

These days, world expositions are more of a curiosity than a must-see. (Headline-grabbing innovations are debuted at thinly veiled corporate publicity stunts: CES, ComiCon, and software developer conferences.) But great cities keep hosting expos, and people keep showing up.

I happened to be in Milan shortly after the opening of Expo 2015, a six-month-long extravaganza that hopes to attract 20 million visitors until it closes in October. Finished with my guidebook-updating chores, I decided to hop on the Metro and — for just €2.50 — rode 30 minutes to the Expo. Another €34 got me into the fairgrounds. And, to be honest, I had a blast. At once both glitzy and quaintly old-fashioned, world expos are still a great opportunity to celebrate the diversity on our planet.

You can read my full report on the Expo in the June Travel News at Ricksteves.com. But here’s an illustrated version, with a virtual walk-through of the landmarks that caught my eye.


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Entering the fairgrounds, you’re standing at the top of the one-mile-long main boulevard, the “Decumano” (as main streets were called in ancient Rome). Hiking the length of the Expo may be exhausting, but at least it’s generously shaded.

While there’s a lot to see at the Expo, for this traveler, the highlight was the chance to drop into the 53 national pavilions. Each one — staffed by people from that country — is designed around a food and sustainability theme (“Feeding the planet, energy for life”). The fascinating thing is how each pavilion really fits the personality of its country. Here are a few of my favorite examples.

 

CH15MayExpo_060Russia is big, bombastic, and intimidating, with a swooping, 100-foot-long mirrored canopy stretching out over the entrance.  (Next door to Russia — and, fittingly, almost completely surrounded by its giant neighbor — Estonia’s modest but classy pavilion is a sleek, split-level, wood-clad space with serene music and little alcoves that gently invite you to learn more about Baltic life.)

 

CH15MayExpo_008At Brazil, you scramble across a huge net over a faux-rain forest.

 

CH15MayExpo_022The Polish pavilion at first feels a bit soulless, but the rooftop has a mirror-enclosed garden that immerses you, all alone, in a tranquil forest.

 

CH15MayExpo_038Some of the smaller, underappreciated nations have pavilions run by the national tourist board. Spunky Slovenia overachieves, enticing visitors with oversized photos and videos of its natural wonders.

 

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CH15MayExpo_079Meanwhile, bigger nations — seemingly confident in their identity on the world stage — focus more on the sustainability theme. The United Kingdom invites you to meander through a lush wildflower meadow to reach its central building, which is capped by a twisty metal structure that — once you step inside — mimics a human eye.

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France’s parabolic wooden frame — striking inside and out — is as beautiful as it is conceptual.

 

CH15MayExpo_046The good old U-S-of-A is well-represented, with an upbeat, slickly produced pavilion explaining “The American Foodscape”: a video welcome from President Obama, exhibits on our agricultural industry, and a series of short animated films exploring different facets of American eating habits. (Iran’s pavilion is just across the street. Aaaaawk-waaard.)

 

CH15MayExpo_068This pavilion — belonging to the planet’s 92nd biggest economy — was tucked discreetly between Qatar and Turkmenistan. Symbolized by a pair of golden arches, its main exports are beef, grain, potatoes, and Happy Meal toys.

 

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Most of the pavilions have restaurants — ranging from fancy sit-down splurges to takeaway stands — where you can get a pricey sample of the national cuisine: chocolates and beer in Belgium (pictured here), kimchi in South Korea, caipirinhas in Brazil, pilsner in the Czech Republic, chicken satay in Indonesia, and grilled steaks in Argentina. The USA’s “Food Truck Nation” sells burgers, BBQ, and lobster rolls.

 

CH15MayExpo_033Of course, every big world’s fair has to have its Eiffel Tower or its Space Needle. At Expo 2015, it’s the Tree of Life, a 120-foot-tall, unfinished-looking skeleton of a tree surrounded by a reflecting pool. But each hour on the hour, this sparse structure springs to life with music, lights, fireworks, and dancing fountains.

 

CH15MayExpo_089The Tree of Life really comes to life after dark, providing a fitting grand finale for a busy afternoon of vicarious globetrotting.

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