Institutional portal - Municipality of Milan

The San Siro sports hall stood in the area, an indoor arena, among the largest in the world, with a circular plan and a double-curved profile (horse saddle) built next to the Giuseppe Meazza stadium in Milan. Inaugurated in 1976, the multifunctional facility could accommodate up to 18.000 spectators for athletics and cycling competitions, as well as various types of events and shows, and was also the home arena of the Olimpia Milano basketball team. On 17 January 1985, due to an exceptional snowfall, the steel cable tensile structure that supported the roofing suffered a sudden collapse which led to it lowering by a few metres. Following this event, the structure remained abandoned for three years, worsening the deterioration caused by bad weather. Those responsible for the work, considering the possibility of building a new, larger and more modern plant that would have to be built on the same area, decided for total demolition.

The space in which the building stood was closed to access for several years and the area was transformed into a small forest. Today the arrangement returns a new green space to the city, but this area deserves an overall redevelopment that reorders and redesigns the complex of areas around the stadium from an urban and environmental perspective. In the future the current "park" together with the surrounding areas will in fact be the subject of a general reorganization related to the redevelopment of the football stadium of the city of Milan. At the moment, in correspondence with the two entrances located in via Federico Tesio, two rest areas have been created with benches and a lighting system, connected by a semicircular concrete path. In the lawn that opens out towards the Giuseppe Meazza stadium, three ovoid areas were created with perennial and herbaceous species in order to create flowering meadows.

The park was created and named "in memory of Giacinto Facchetti (Treviglio, 18 July 1942 - Milan, 4 September 2006) and Cesare Maldini (Trieste, 5 February 1932 - Milan, 3 April 2016), champions on the pitch, with the colors of Inter, Milan, of the Italian national team, and in life".

Cesare Maldini, Italian footballer, football coach and father of Paolo Maldini, was a symbol of Milan as a player, wearing the captain's armband of both the Rossoneri and the national team. As a coach he led both the Italian Under-21 team, winning the European championship three consecutive editions (1992, 1994, 1996), and the senior national team, participating in the 1998 world championship held in France. Over the years in Milan Maldini won four championships, a Latin Cup and, above all, the Champions Cup raised on 22 May 1963 at Wembley, after beating Eusébio's Benfica in the final: it was a historic success, the first for the Rossoneri - as well as an Italian club – in the event. He left Milan after having played 347 games in his ranks. Having undertaken his federal career, in 1980 he was chosen as assistant coach to Italy's coach Enzo Bearzot, participating in this capacity in the Italian victory in the 1982 world championship in Spain.

Giacinto Facchetti, Italian footballer and sports manager, wore the Inter shirt from 1960 to 1978, winning nine trophies both at national level (four championships and one Italian Cup) and internationally (two European Cups and two Intercontinental Cups). As a player he was also Captain of the Italian national team from 1966 to 1977, participating in the victorious edition of the 1968 European Championship, which represents Italy's first and still only success in the competition. With the blue shirt he also took part in three editions of the world championship (1966, 1970, 1974) becoming vice champion in 1970. He left his competitive career collecting a total of 634 appearances and 75 goals with the Inter shirt. As a manager under his presidency, Inter won a championship, two Italian Cups and two Italian Super Cups.

Main tree species

• American maple (Acer negundo L.)
• ailanthus (Ailanthus altissima Mill.)
• hackberry (Celtis australis L.)
• Himalayan cedar (Cedrus deodara Roxb.)
• cherry (Prunus avium L.)
• ash (Fraxinus excelsior L.)
• elm (Ulmus L.)
• Himalayan pine (Pinus wallichiana ABJacks.)
• gray poplar (Populus x canescens)
• Lombard poplar (Populus nigra "Italica")
• black poplar (Populus nigra L.)
• plane tree (Platanus L.)
• black locust (Robinia pseudoacacia L.)
• sophora (Sophora japonica L.)
• American styrax (Liquidambar styracifluaL.)
• wild lime (Tilia cordata Mill.), zelkova (Zelkova spp.)