The Parco Sempione is directly adjacent to the Castello Sforzesco. The garden is a popular meeting place and offers a lot of recreation on almost 40 hectares. Ponds and water arms criss-cross the meadows. There are cafés and numerous benches. In summer, open-air events are held here.
In the park there are some “hidden” sights of Milan that should not be missed.
Arena Civica
The Arena Civica was commissioned by Napoleon in 1806 as a versatile sports centre from the architect Luigi Canonica. He created an amphitheatre in an elliptical shape that could seat up to 30,000 spectators. The 238 x 116 metre arena was built from materials taken from the fortifications of the castello, which had been cut down shortly before. After almost 2 years of construction, the arena was inaugurated in 1807 with a water battle.
The arena was used almost exclusively for sporting competitions. Even water competitions and ice skating events could be held inside. The arena was flooded for this purpose. The football club FC Inter used the Arena Civica as its home stadium at the beginning of the 20th century. Today, football matches, cycling races and the home games of the rugby club Amatori Rugby Milano are still played here.
When we walked past the arena, I was a bit disappointed. It looks very run down. Normally you can’t get into the stadium either. We were lucky and the entrance gate was open. Despite the barrier, we slipped through briefly and were able to get an impression of the interior. Here, too, time has left clear traces, but nevertheless I can imagine that the atmosphere at sporting events must be brilliant.
Acquario Civico
On the occasion of the 1906 World’s Fair, the Acquario Civico marine museum building was erected as a pavilion in Parco Sempione. It has been used as an aquarium since 1908 and is the third oldest aquarium in Europe.
The opening hours and admission prices can be found on the aquarium’s website. Webseite des Aquariums nachlesen.
We took a look at the building from the outside. It reminds me very much of the Aquarium in Berlin. Here, too, you find tile/ceramic mirrors on the exterior façade. These are designed to match the building and are beautiful!
Torre Branca
The Torre Branca observation tower is 106.8 metres high. Those who would like to enjoy the view over the park can take the lift up to 97 metres. The tower was built on the occasion of the 5th Triennale in Milan in 1933. The architect Gio Ponti created a slender and transparent construction that reminds me a lot of the Eiffel Tower and the Petřín observation tower in Prague.
The opening hours of the tower can be found on the Italian website.
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