Discovering Cities: Milan

Professor Carlo Berizzi, an expert in modern and contemporary architecture, will guide you through the first stage of Domus Discovering Cities. Here is his presentation of the tour of Milan.

Discovering Cities

Long ignored by traditional tours of Italy’s cities of art, over the last decade Milan has relaunched itself as an international destination with an awareness and clear focus on the cultural events that marked the 20th century. As a key player in a narrative mix of art, innovation and industrial production, the city has developed a unique style that is now widely recognised on the global scene.

One fact that sums up the city’s rebranding? More than ten museums have opened in around ten years, including the new Prada Foundation, Armani/Silos, Pirelli Hangar Bicocca, Museo del Novecento, Triennale Design Museum and MUDEC. All were conceived to take over from a recent history that has drawn together design, architecture and fashion. But it is primarily its physicality –  its architecture and latest iconic urban-regeneration projects – that makes Milan unique in today’s world.  

Discovering Cities
Corso Como

Discovering Cities is an innovative architectural format promoted by Domus that explores Milan and its architecture, examining the specific cultural aspects that have characterised two different architectural developments of the last 100 years. The first was the birth in the mid-20th century of what we can today call “Milan’s Modern Style” when a generation of architects, including Gio Ponti, Ernesto Nathan Rogers, Ignazio Gardella and Luigi Caccia Dominioni, developed their own interpretation of the Modern Movement by merging Italian architectural tradition, a focus on urban themes and innovative technology/materials into one whole.

The second is the recent so-called “Milanese Renaissance” which erupted with Expo 2015 and is ongoing. It  has attracted leading international architects – from OMA/Rem Koolhaas to David Chipperfield, Herzog & de Meuron and Sanaa – plus a new generation of Italian designers to work on the city. 

Discovering Cities
CityLife

Domus’s three-day Discovering Cities itinerary will be a unique and rewarding experience as you find yourself admiring the iconic buildings of the Milanese Modern Style, gazing at the latest hi-rise architecture in new districts, meeting architects engaged in major urban change and enjoying a visit to the Domus archives and Milan office of David Chipperfield, the current guest editor of Domus.

Modernity will be explained on a walking tour around the city centre, where you will grasp the relationship between the architecture of the last century and the city’s urban fabric. A visit to an apartment in the innovative Via Quadronno building by Angelo Mangiarotti and Bruno Morassutti – presented by one of their closest collaborators who still occupies their old office – will convey the close bond forged between architecture and design in the 1950s. A tour of Aldo Rossi and Carlo Aymonino’s Gallaratese residential complex will showcase one of the 20th century’s most controversial works. A visit to the Church of Santa Maria Annunciata by Gio Ponti, a talk at the Domus headquarters and a visit to its archives will complete the narration of 20th-century architecture. 

Discovering Cities
Porta Nuova

The tour will then focus on the latest and most significant urban changes, e.g. Porta Nuova and CityLife, and on major contemporary architecture. Part of the visit will centre on the Bocconi University campus, with the building designed by Grafton Architects and the new SANAA extension, nearing completion. The Vertical Forest, a present-day icon in Milan, will be described by Gianandrea Barreca, one of its designers. The relationship between art and architecture will be further scrutinised at the Fondazione Prada and  Pirelli Hangar Bicocca museum, an industrial space regenerated to become an exhibition centre for contemporary artworks. 

Discovering Cities Milan offers a unique opportunity to learn about the city and its architecture. The experience will enable you to truly understand the city in the company of architectural experts and professionals. 

Opening picture: Grafton Architects, Bocconi

Read more
China Germany India Mexico, Central America and Caribbean Sri Lanka Korea icon-camera close icon-comments icon-down-sm icon-download icon-facebook icon-heart icon-heart icon-next-sm icon-next icon-pinterest icon-play icon-plus icon-prev-sm icon-prev Search icon-twitter icon-views icon-instagram