The new Porta Nuova district: contemporary Milan

Initiated in 2009, the urban renewal project comprises the area between Porta Garibaldi, the Isola district and the former Porta Nuova railway station, also known as delle Varesine, as it was a terminus for trains from Varese, Novara, and Gallarate. The station was decommissioned in the early ‘60s and replaced by the current Porta Garibaldi Station.

The new project - devised by a team of internationally renowned architects - has redesigned the area creating a myriad of buildings with different functions: offices, commercial and residential spaces. A pedestrian system of gardens, piazzas, footbridges and bike paths unites all the zones.

The complex of tower blocks that looms over piazza Gae Aulenti boasts some notable buildings including the Unicredit tower - the highest building in Italy - the Torre Diamante between viale della Liberazione and via Galilei, and the Bosco Verticale (Vertical Forest), two residential towers with planted terraces set in Via De Castillia and via Confalonieri in the Isola district.

Corso Como and the nightlife scene

The northern access point to the city, Porta Garibaldi is located in the centre of Piazza XXV Aprile and was built by the architect Giacomo Moraglia between 1826 and 1828. The current neoclassical arch, originally dedicated to Francis I of Austria to commemorate his visit to Milan in 1825, was later named after Giuseppe Garibaldi to mark his victory against the Austrians at San Fermo (1859).

In recent years the axis that comprises corso Garibaldi, Piazza XXV Aprile and corso Como has undergone a lot of gentrification with the opening of numerous bars, shops and clubs and is now one of the main hubs of Milan's hectic nightlife.