Institutional portal - Municipality of Milan

New paving and 184 trees, starting from via Beltrami. Maran: “Fundamental piece of the strategy for valorising the squares. It will be a place for all Milanese" - Photo gallery

Milan, July 8 2021 – Piazza Castello is ready to change its face and strengthen its identity as a pedestrian and green square, a place dedicated to socializing in continuity with the Sempione park. Construction work began this morning for the construction of the first batch of the winning project of the International Competition announced by the Administration through the ConcorriMi platform and won by the architects Genuizzi, Strambio, Banal and Ragazzo, revised in light of the Superintendence's observations.

“After extensive work with the Superintendency which has made it possible to make the project greener and more harmonious, as foreseen by the timetable, work begins for the valorisation of a symbolic square of the city, the access point to the Sempione park and the arrival point of the longest pedestrian route in the city – declares the Urban Planning Councilor Pierfrancesco Maran -. Piazza Castello will not only be a business card for the many tourists who will return to visit the center, but it wants to become a new place experienced by all Milanese. This intervention is also part of the squares strategy which in the last ten years has seen the creation of at least 80 interventions spread throughout the neighbourhoods".

The intervention will be carried out in phases in order to reduce the impact on the liveability of the area, and in the first months it will only concern the area corresponding to via Lanza and the area of ​​via Beltrami. As indicated by the Superintendence, the central flooring will be redone in Montorfano White Granite with gray Beola inserts, in line with the Milanese tradition and in contrast with the external strips adjacent to the buildings, already made of asphalt. The central passage will in turn be divided into a path characterized by large carpets of granite cubes, flanked by lateral sectors paved with large slabs. The planters and benches present today in Largo Beltrami will be partly relocated to the tactical square in via Toce, while the remainder will subsequently be positioned in other areas of the city.

In autumn the intervention will move to the sides of Piazza Castello, where three rows of trees will be created, to integrate those already present, with the replacement of a small group of lagestroemie with trees of greater value and size. The continuity of the rows, placed in the shape of a "crescent", will be interrupted only at the crossing points, in order to keep the views of the Sforzesco Castle unchanged from the main access roads (in addition to the central via Beltrami, also at via Lanza, Minghetti, Ricasoli and Stella). In total, 184 specimens will be planted among curly maples, typical of the Lombardy piedmont forest.

The avenues that surround the Sforzesco Castle along Foro Bonaparte will also be redeveloped: the asphalt will give way to the new continuous concrete pavement to recall the naturalness of Parco Sempione. The flowerbeds will also be redeveloped and enriched with ornamental shrubs in the corners most exposed to the risk of trampling. The works of this first batch of interventions, for a total amount of 5,5 million euros, will last a total of approximately 500 days and will not lead to changes to the road system. The second lot of works, which will complete the project by intervening on Largo Cairoli, will be carried out in a subsequent phase.