Tips & Itineraries

Milano

Take a walk on the green side.

Outdoor relaxing time in Milano.

Orto Botanico di Brera - Via Brera, 28

The Brera Botanical Garden is an oasis in the center of Milano. It is part of a large cultural compound including the Astronomical Observatory, the National Library, the Academy of Fine Arts and the Brera Pinacoteca, housing one of the greatest art collections in the world from the 15th to the 20th century.
Established in 1774 by the Italian botanist and clergyman Fulgenzio Vitman under the direction of Maria Theresa of Austria, the garden spreads across 5.000 m² and prides itself on more than 300 different plant species, like one the oldest Ginkgo biloba trees in Europe, as well as mature specimens of Firmiana platanifolia, Juglans nigra, Pterocarya fraxinifolia, and Tilia. It was restored in 1998 after a long period of neglect and decay.

For more Information about opening hours click here.

 Orto botanico di Cascina Rosa - Via Carlo Valvassori Peroni, 7

Cascina Rosa Botanical Garden (25.000 m2) was established in 2002 with research and educational functions. Its three greenhouses are fitted with sophisticated climate control plants: one is particularly important for the winter conservation of species; the other two are designed to conduct advanced research in compliance with the latest molecular technology. Current researches include genetic improvement of rice, and exploration of useful genes in Arabidopsis thaliana.

Every plant has a label indicating its common and scientific name. They include azaleas, camellias, pine, oak, native and imported plants. The latter includes the willow and many others, such as the Japanese hazel, which were imported during the Middle Ages to provide exotic decoration for Lombard gardens.
In 1948, the Italian film director Vittorio De Sica chose the area between the Ortica district and Cascina Rosa to shoot some scenes of the movie “Miracolo a Milano” (Miracle in Milan, 1951) .

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We suggest…

Watching:

Miracle in Milan (1951) by Vittorio de Sica

 Villa Belgiojoso Bonaparte Garden - Villa Reale - Via Palestro

A beautiful English garden, designed by the Viennese architect Leopold Pollack, extends for 19.000 m2 around Milano’s Royal Villa, residence of count Ludovico Barbiano di Belgiojoso.
The Villa, known as “Villa Reale” in the Napoleonic period, became the seat of the Modern Art Gallery (GAM) of Milan in 1921. In 1951, it was flanked by the Padiglione d'Arte Contemporanea (PAC) dedicated to contemporary art exhibitions, realized by Ignazio Gardella in 1954 and rebuilt in 1993 after being destroyed by fire.
Visitors can participate to the botanical itineraries organized by the Voluntary Ecological Guards.

Click here for more information (Italian only).