Reopening to the public on Saturday, February 9, the “Torre del Parco” (Park Tower) – also known as the “Torre Branca” (Branca Tower) or “Torre Littoria” (Littoria Tower) – one of the tallest buildings in the Lombardy capital. Closed since 1972, it can be found in Milan’s Sempione Park beside the Palazzo dell’Arte along with which it was inaugurated on August 10, 1933, during the V Triennale of Milan (International Exhibition of Modern Decorative and Industrial Arts and Modern Architecture).

Designed by Gio Ponti along with the engineers Cesare Chiodi and Ettore Ferrari, the tower was built in record time – eighty days – with a structure built of high-resistance steel tubes, very avantgarde for the period; inside was a panoramic terrace (at 100 meters up), a restaurant (at 97 meters) and a revolving beacon (at 108 meters).

Its total height – 108.60 meters – was not decided upon for structural or architectural reasons but because the Duce first concern was that it not rise higher than the Madonnina on the top of the Duomo (at a height of 109.36 metres): “So that the profane will not rise above the sacred,” Mussolini declared at the time.

The Torre del Parco was restored by the Branca corporation in 1997 and from Saturday to the end of April will be accessible to visitors for two days every week (Wednesday and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.); from April to September the days of opening will increase to four (from 11:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.).