Institutional portal - Municipality of Milan

A first hypothesis of establishing a large intermunicipal park north of Milan dates back to the end of the 60s, but it was only in 1970 that the North Milan Park was established by Prefectural Decree and in 1975 it was recognized by the Lombardy Region as a Regional Park.

Until 1982, the first territorial coordination plan and a first preliminary project, which had no follow-up, were drawn up by a design group composed of Marco Brunati, Demetrio Costantino, Raffaelle Selleri and Virgilio Vercelloni.

Since 1983, the design has been taken on by the architect Francesco Borella, first as head of the greenery of the PIM study center and then as director of the park, encouraging the start of two parallel processes, that of the 'work in progress' on the general design and the construction of the park, made up of subsequent implementation interventions on the basis of individual excerpt executive projects and that of the gradual growth of the technical and operational structure of the park which over time takes care of the design and construction by batches, and the management in its components of maintenance, cleaning, supervision (largely entrusted to the Volunteer Ecological Guards), environmental education, animation and organization of life in the park. It was and is a unique choral experience in Italy, which involved many people, with particularly significant contributions (the architect Andreas Kipar who collaborated as a consultant for the landscape aspects and the executive project of the mountain, Dr. Paolo Lassini for the construction of the first reforestation lots in the 80s).

In the following years, vegetable gardens for the elderly, cycle/pedestrian itineraries, road crossing walkways were created (with the structural design by Engineer Giulio Ballio and Franco Spinelli), children's play areas, bowling greens, sports facilities, as well as ponds and lakes. The North Milan Park can count on over 430 truly usable hectares of greenery, organized into wooded areas, clearings, rows, shrubbery, hedges and small bodies of water.

Today the park continues to expand, with the working methodology used in all these years, aware of its social, urban and ecological role. The new reforestation lots, with the small seedlings of a few tens of centimeters protected by guardians, are the symbol of the growing park and of the investment for the future. But it is the management and maintenance of the greenery that best express the methodology used.

New, technologically advanced solutions have been found for new problems, such as the recent photovoltaic power plant or the computerized management of maintenance interventions, to be able to maintain the high quality standard of greenery that citizens have become accustomed to seeing.

Over time, the Parco Nord Milano has become a concrete example of sustainable development for the entire city, similar to what happens in all the most important European metropolises.

The Teatrino Breda (completed in 1994 on the slopes of the Montagnetta, which represents a good example of recovery of an abandoned industrial structure, now a place of social and cultural aggregation), the Monument to the deported by the architect Belgioioso (dedicated to all the workers of the large factories of Sesto San Giovanni arrested by the Nazi-Fascists and deported to the concentration camps), Villa Manzoni and its centuries-old park (a residence that was once the property of Alessandro Manzoni and today a private residence which cannot be visited), Villa Torretta (the most precious historical asset within the Parco is one of the few stately villas from the 500th century entirely frescoed and now home to a conference centre/hotel).

Flora

The reforestation work begun in 1983 gave rise to naturalistic redevelopment, starting a process of continuous enrichment of the plant and animal heritage.
Today, more than 200.000 tall trees live in the areas reclaimed and returned to nature, including:

• maples (Acer campestre, A. platanoides, A. pseudoplatanus)
• white birch (Betula pendula)
• cherry (Prunus avium)
• English oak (Quercus robur)
• ash (Fraxinus spp)
• field elm (Ulmus carpinifolia)

and shrubs of the most diverse species.

They began to reproduce spontaneously:

• maples (Acer spp)
• hive (Quercus robur)
• hawthorn (Crataegus monogyna)
• cherry (Prunus avium)
• manna ash (Fraxinus ornus)
• wild rose (Rosa canina)
• willow (Salix spp) and more.
• elderberry (Sambucus nigra)
• dogwood (Cornus sanguinea)

Fauna

The creation of a dense forest area has meant that, in the space of twenty years, the presence of wildlife has significantly increased, qualitatively and quantitatively. In particular, avifauna such as kestrels, owls, tawny owls, sparrowhawks and other birds of prey have found favorable nesting conditions in the park.
Since 2001 the park has been a site of national herpetological importance (amphibians) thanks to the breeding areas of the green toad (Bufo bufo).

The “Breda Canal”, which runs along the part of the cycle path that connects the Teatrino to the velodrome; on the north bank the canal is lined with black locust trees and a small recently planted grove, while numerous water lily plants and marsh irises adorn its surface, making it a suitable place for frogs and toads in spring and summer.

The "Round Fountain", located at a crossroads inside the park, contains in its center an islet with aquatic plants and, with its vaporized jet, creates an evocative "fog effect"; the "Laghetti di Bresso", built in 2002, are populated by numerous species of animals and plants and are connected via a canal built from scratch.

The "Laghetti Suzzani", two bodies of water built in 1992 and connected with a canal that can be crossed via a wooden bridge.

Since 2005, the Seveso river has also been redeveloped through a process of renaturalization of the banks and the construction of a cycle/pedestrian itinerary.

Activities and events

• Exhibitions and events: the Biodiversity Festival is held between May and June, held in conjunction with the European Parks Day (24 May) and the World Environment Day (5 June), which offers three weeks of conferences and meetings with experts and scientists, theater and film festivals, nature guided tours, photographic and educational exhibitions, games and creative workshops of great emotional impact, tastings and tastings.
• Educational activities: Parco Nord Milano offers nursery, primary and secondary school classes a vast program of educational activities, including sensory journeys, environmental surveying and biodiversity.

Management and information

"Cascina Centro Parco" offices and visitor center, in via Clerici 150, tel. 02 2410161, which includes:

1. Space for exhibitions and events and the "Parks Area" documentation center
2. Cascina Centro Parco with entrance: from Monday to Thursday 8:30-12:30 e 14:30-17:30, Friday only afternoon, on Sundays from March to June from 15 am to 18 pm
3. Friends of the North Park Association
4. Give us Track Association!