Vittorio Formentano Park

Town Hall 4
Arrival: Course XXII March
Timetables: free access
How to Get There:: tram 12 | 27 | bus 45 | 60 | 62 | 66 | 73

Area: 72.300 sqm
Year of creation: 1986
Designer: Hunt Dominoni
Restoration: Municipality of Milan

What to do at the park

2 play areas
walk
stop and relax
running and cycling
listen to concerts or attend cultural events at the Palazzina Liberty
1 basketball court
bowling lover
water house
4 dog areas

The park in brief

The Formentano park, known as the garden of Largo Marinai d'Italia, has areas dedicated to children, others for playing basketball or bowls, as well as allowing you to relax in the wide avenues, among trees, sculptural and architectural groups.

There are several elements that identify the Largo Marinai d'Italia park.

The first is the Palazzina Liberty designed in 1908 and known because the future Nobel Prize winner Dario Fo chose it as the headquarters, from 1974 to 1980, of the theater collective La Comune. It is a centrally planned Art Nouveau building with large windows decorated with floral motifs and brightly colored tiles.

The second is the scenic monument fountain, dedicated to the Sailors who fell during the Second World War. The architect Caccia Dominoni was entrusted with the project of the park and he called in the collaboration of the sculptor Somaini who was responsible for the unconventional water monument to those fallen at sea, clearly visible from Corso XXII marzo.

The third element that identifies the garden is the sculpture, known as the Embrace, which actually represents two blood donors. The park is dedicated to Vittorio Formentano, the doctor who founded Avis, the Italian donors' association, in 1927.

Where the park now stands, the city's fruit and vegetable market once took place: farmers and merchants from different areas of Lombardy displayed and sold their products and, at the end of the day, rested in the café-restaurant, the current Palazzina Liberty, now home to a music school and concert activity. The market, originally located in via del Verziere, was moved to Largo Marinai d'Italia in 1911 and in 1965 to via Lombroso, thus freeing up an area that it was decided to use as a public garden.

The park has natural stone and asphalt paving and is periodically monitored by Volunteer Ecological Guards.

History and Architecture

The park stands on the site of the fruit and vegetable market (Verzée) which was moved here from via Verziere in 1911 and then moved to via Lombroso.

A picturesque corner of old Milan, the market hosted farmers from various areas of Lombardy who brought their products characterized by a sort of DOC brand, such as cabbage from Casalpusterlengo, beans from Vigevano and figs from Brianza; after the day's work the farmers refreshed themselves at the Centrale bar, the current Palazzina Liberty.

Caccia Dominioni's project, which was very ambitious and involved the construction of hills and fountains, was then partially scaled down, but is characterized by a pleasant and very rational layout, with some earthworks, groups of trees and shrubs, a fountain with a small bridge .

Since 1987 the Park has been dedicated to Vittorio Formentano (1895-1977), doctor, philanthropist and president of Avis.

Architectural heritage and artefacts

Palazzina Liberty, designed in 1908 by the architect Migliorini, is the only structure that recalls the ancient verziere and which was the headquarters of the "La Comune Theater Collective" of Dario Fo; it was restored in 1992.

Monument by Francesco Somaini to the Italian sailors who fell during the Second World War; bronze sculpture by the Italian-Hungarian sculptor Eva Olàh depicting two blood donors in memory of Vittorio Formentano, after whom the park is named.