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Bosco Verticale and the Isola district
Get to know the attractions embracing tradition and contemporary green spaces
The alternative neighborhood at the feet of the Vertical Forest, a pioneering skyscraper of green urban renewal thanks to trees and shrubs that grows on its balconies, coexists with the futuristic towers and international brands of Porta Nuova beyond the green park of BAM, the Library of Trees that straddles across the two districts.
Isola is where you go for a coffee or a cocktail, gourmet food or a good old pizza, to fix a bike or do community politics. It’s populated by young people and young couples and it is one of the fixtures of the Milano night.
It is also a place of culture, with bookstores and theaters, and of ecological awareness, with several environmental associations, a community garden (Isola Pepe Verde) and a ciclofficina (+bc) where you can learn to fix your bike.
The heart of Isola is the recently pedestrianized Via Borsieri, where you can wander among jazz clubs, kebab shops, trattorias and brasseries in a jovial atmosphere that lasts well after midnight.
From the waters of Santa Maria alle Fontane to the bistrots on Via de Castillia, life flows between tradition and modernity, languorous contemplation and momentous change.
Bosco Verticale aka the Vertical Forest is one of the architectural masterpieces of the 21st century. Its facades are covered by 800 trees, 15,000 thousand plants and 5,000 shrubs, to 30,000 square meters of chlorophyll: a unique spectacle that displays the colors and hues of the seasons’ cycle. This is the reason why it is one of Milano’s most instagrammed buildings (M5 Isola).
From the Vertical Forest, Casa della Memoria (House of Memory) is at a stone’s throw. A red-brick building, where the bricks of the facade act as pixels composing the faces of the characters relevant to the history of the Milanese Resistance and the fight for Italian democracy.
Expand your green mind at BAM, the outdoor library of trees (M5 Isola),
This is a public park designed with great attention to the landscaping and botanical varieties of trees (more than 100), to be enjoyed by citizens in any season and at any age, thanks to the areas dedicated to its arboreal circles, relaxation areas, sports tracks and playgrounds for children. It is also periodically filled with live events, workshops for children, open-airs conferences and yoga lessons.
The walkways that crisscross lead to Piazza Gae Aulenti, the sumptuous square surrounded by skyscrapers and global brands where you can literally walk on water (M2/M5 Garibaldi FS).
The Porta Garibaldi railway station beneath is one of the main access points to the city thanks to the high-speed trains leaving from it and the suburban trains stopping at the Passante underground station.
We recommend you take a walk through the maze of streets of the Isola district, to experience the traditional atmosphere of old Milano. Visit the shops and ateliers of artisans in Via Thaon de Revel (M3 Zara): from carpenters and ceramists to jewelry designers, craftsmanship is the soul of Isola.
Advice from the Locals: Aperitivo is a surprising experience at Isola.
Try out a selection of gins, cocktails with dumplings or a tagliere with beer. For socializing into the night, the bars in Piazzale Archinto are recommended, particularly if you are young in body or spirit. When you feel that the mood and the time are just right, head for a disco or a late dinner in nearby Via Valtellina (M3 Maciachini).
Many places in Milano are linked to miracles and one of these is the sanctuary of Santa Maria alla Fontana in the Isola district, specially constructed to conserve a source of miraculous holy water.
Much beloved by the faithful since the 12th century, this sacred place is a pilgrimage destination for sufferers of arthritis and arthrosis who bathe in the water that gushes from 11 fountains. According to tradition, the governor of Milano commissioned the church in 1507 after being miraculously cured of an eye disease.
Even today, the beauty of the magnificent portico above the fountains is still well-conserved: incredibly colourful frescoes of saints and angels look down on those who bathe in the miraculous water.
M2, Porta Garibaldi
M5, Isola
