An edicola is usually a freestanding kiosk which has traditionally sold newspapers and magazines. Of course with printed publications being in retreat in most parts of the world, that business is drying up and there may come a time when these buildings are no longer part of the Italian streetscape. In Australia, news kiosks like this used to be found in the CBD, but I can't recall the last time I saw one. There are still newsagencies, ones which usually occupy standard shopfronts, but their number is diminishing as well. In my own local area, I can think of at least 4 that have closed since I took this photo in 2016. The ones that remain are earning most of their income from lottery sales.

When I took this photo in 2016, of course, the relentless charge to digital publishing was not as advanced as it is when I'm writing this commentary in 2023. Consequently, you can still see the windows of the edicola filled with magazines here.

When I looked at a Google Street View shots from the 2022, however, the windows of the kiosk were filled with tourist trash; "I heart Italy" T-shirts, baseball caps, bottled water and other drinks, snack food; you know the drill. Although the name of the local newspaper "Il Giorno" is still prominently displayed, I have no idea whether it is still for sale there. I suppose I should go back and find out.

Another sign of the changing times is the bike sharing service that we see in the foreground. Although there are apparently some commercial services in Milano as well, this one appears to be the one that is run by the local government. According to their website, the fixed station service (that is, fixed bike racks like we see here) was introduced in 2008. As of 2023, there are 22,000 bicycles of various types, 11,800 of which are power assisted. The batteries are, naturally, recharged using photovoltaic cells (solar power). What they described as "free flow" bike sharing (presumably where you don't need to get the bike from and return it to a fixed station) was introduced experimentally in 2017, a year after we were here. You won't see a lot of people riding bicycles in Milano, but will see a few in other shots in this gallery and it is becoming popular, especially for younger people.