Fifth Avenue. Milan's Via MonteNapoleone Has Taken Your Crown As World's Most Upscale...

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Shoppers laden with bags from Fendi, Loewe, Prada and other designer labels clog the narrow sidewalks of Milan's swankiest shopping street, bringing joy to the purveyors of high-end luxury goods this, and every, holiday season.

There's even more to celebrate this year: A commercial real estate company has crowned Via MonteNapoleone as the world's most expensive retail destination, displacing New York's Fifth Avenue.

The latest version of American firm Cushman ⁘ Wakefield's annual global index, which ranks shopping areas based on the rent prices they command, is a sign of Via MonteNapoleone's desirability as an address for luxury ready-to-wear, jewelry and even pastry brands.

The average rent on the Milan street has surged to 20,000 euros per square meter ($2,047 per square foot), compared with 19,537 euros per square meter ($2,000 per square foot) on an 11-block stretch of upper Fifth Avenue.

Via MonteNapoleone's small size - it's less than one-quarter mile long - and walking distance to services and top cultural sites are among the street's key advantages, according to Guglielmo Miani, president of the MonteNapoleone District association.

"Not everything can fit, which is a benefit'' since the limited space makes the street even more exclusive and dynamic, said Miani, whose group also represents businesses on the intersecting side streets that together with Via MonteNapoleone form an area known as Milan's Fashion Quadrilateral.

The biggest brands on the street make 50 million euros ($52.4 million) to 100 million euros in annual sales, Miani said, which goes a long way to paying the rent. Tiffany ⁘ Co. is preparing to take up residence on Via Montenapoleone, and long-time tenant Fendi is expanding.

The street is a magnet for holiday shoppers who arrive in Maseratis, Porsches and even Ferraris, the sports car's limited trunk space notwithstanding. Lights twinkle overhead, boutique windows feature mannequins engaged in warm scenes of holiday fun, and passersby snap photos of expertly decorated cakes in pastry shop displays.