Since the idea of building a new stadium for Inter and Milan emerged in 2019, the future of the Giuseppe Meazza Stadium — known as 'La Scala del Calcio' (the football opera house) — has undergone several changes, including futuristic designs, traditional plans, and symbolic concepts.

One of the most discussed options was “La Cattedrale” by Populous, which was competing with Manica-CMR Sportium's futuristic rings. Alongside these, radically different ideas have emerged over time, such as turning the current stadium into a cypress forest to commemorate the victims of the pandemic, or Stefano Boeri's concept of a 'forest stadium'. While seemingly more moderate proposals have also emerged, these have profoundly impacted public opinion. The stadium is seen as a symbol of the city and its footballing glory, so the idea of preserving only part of it or demolishing it partially, in homage to its historical memory, has certainly not been to everyone's liking.

Built in 1925, the stadium dedicated to one of the Italian footballers who symbolised the golden age of football is a layering of years and engineering techniques, from Ulisse Stacchini to Perlasca and Bertera, to Leo Finzi in collaboration with Giancarlo Ragazzi and Enrico Hoffer. Inter and Milan are among the most important football teams in the world, having won numerous national and international titles at this stadium. The fact that they share the stadium is exceptional today, when all the major clubs have their own, and has certainly added to the mythology of the Meazza.

Not to mention that some of the most important and famous concerts in the city's history have taken place here: Michael Jackson performed here in 1992, as did the legendary Bob Marley. Springsteen played an endless concert here in 2013, and many other world-class artists have performed here, as well as Italian stars such as Vasco Rossi, who holds the absolute record of 30 concerts at San Siro.

Recently, the debate on the future of San Siro has returned to the forefront. In March, the City of Milan published a notice for the sale of the area currently housing the stadium and launched a public tender to gather alternative expressions of interest to the joint proposal by Inter and Milan.

Meanwhile, the two clubs are continuing with the feasibility study for a new 71,500-seat stadium to be built in the current car park. The project involves partially demolishing the Meazza, including removing the roof, most of the stands and around 70% of the iconic ramps that characterise its façade.

Although this process is referred to as 'refunctionalization', the result would be the near-total demolition of the original structure, which was built in 1925 and modified several times during the 20th century. Very little of that architectural stratification would remain.

According to recent reports in Corriere della Sera, Italy's leading newspaper and another Milanese institution, Inter and Milan have already launched a competition to design the new stadium. Among the candidates are some familiar names: Populous, a company specialising in sports facilities; and Manica, who are collaborating with Foster + Partners, the studio led by Norman Foster — guest editor of Domus for 2024. Also in the running are Herzog & de Meuron, designers of the Allianz Arena in Munich and the 'Bird's Nest' in Beijing, who are presenting two as yet unpublished European projects. Finally, BDP Partners are collaborating with BIG (Bjarke Ingels Group), the studio of the current guest editor of Domus, which is building its 'lying skyscraper' a few kilometers away in the CityLife area.

The future of the area, as well as that of the new and old stadiums, remains uncertain. However, it is clear that this will be another significant transformation, building on the profound changes that have already impacted the neighbourhood over the past two years, including the development of new social housing in the former Trotto area and the transformation of the former De Montel stables into Europe's largest metropolitan spa.