Innovation and tradition in Milan from skyscrapers to meatballs

Innovation and tradition in Milan from skyscrapers to meatballs

Milan, the most European and dynamic of Italian large cities, is indeed strongly routed to its traditions: from architecture, with the typical balcony houses standing aside some of the most iconic skyscrapers worldwide, to gastronomy, where fusion and international restaurants share the market with old style "trattorie".
This private guided tour will introduce you to the wonder of this balance between past and future: a pleasant stroll will skirt the most outstanding examples of contemporary architecture, from the Pirelli to the Unicredit Tower, then leading to a local "polpetteria", where a professional cook will teach you the secrets of a 400 years old recipe.

Itinerary
This is a typical itinerary for this product

Pass By: Stazione Centrale, Stazione Centrale, Milan, Lombardy

The main railway station of Milan, in its current appearance, was initially designed in 1912 by Ulisse Stacchini and completed in 1931, after a long stop due to World War I. It features a massive entrance pavilion, characterized by a blend of Liberty, neoclassicism and eclecticism; through this, the passengers can access to the platforms, covered by an impressive iron and glass structure, 341 metres long, reaching a height of 33 metres in its central span.

Pass By: Grattacielo Pirelli, Piazza Duca d'Aosta 1, 20124 Milan Italy

This amazingly elegant skyscraper was designed by the Italian architect Giò Ponti and built between 1956 and 1961. With a rooftop height of 127 metres, it held the record for the tallest European building until 1966, while it was unsurpassed in Milan until the construction of nearby Palazzo Lombardia. The extremely tight proportion between transversal width and height involved a sophisticated calculation of structures, managed by the genius engineer Pier Luigi Nervi. With its distinguishing silhouette, the tower is still one of the symbols of Milan.

Pass By: Palazzo Lombardia, Via Melchiorre Gioia, 20124 Milan Italy

Built between 2007 and 2010, this articulated complex includes a 161 metres tall skyscraper and, at the ground floor, the largest covers square in the world. This square features a kindergarten, an auditorium, a post office, several restaurants and coffee bars. Besides, it often hosts happenings and events.

Pass By: Bosco Verticale, Via Federico Confalonieri, 20124 Milan Italy

Designed by the Italian architects of Studio Boeri and built between 2009 and 2014, this building stands as the manifesto a of a sustainable, innovative metropolitan architecture. Its elevations, on all sides, feature more than 2.000 arboreal varieties, instead of the widely used curtain walls that characterize such buildings. Between 2014 and 2015, the Vertical Forest has been awarded as "Best Skyscraper in the world" and "Best architecture worldwide 2015", also entering the top 50 ranking of the most iconic tall buildings of all times.

Pass By: Piazza Gae Aulenti Zona Garibaldi, 20124 Milan Italy

This circular, 100 metres-wide elevated square is the heart of the massive redesign of the whole area of "Porta Nuova". It lays at the feet of Unicredit Tower, built between 2009 and 2012, being the tallest skyscraper in Italy with its overall height of 218 metres (including the spire).