Peace and quiet just outside the city centre, in a neighbourhood that can make you forget you are even in Milan: this is the real draw of Maggiolina.

 

A blend of architectural styles, with some of the city’s most unusual living solutions and buildings in eclectic styles immersed in green space. 

The neighborhood

 

 

 Would you like to wander through a maze of streets, admiring the results of unconventional architectural experimentation, from Art Nouveau right through to rationalism? Maggiolina is the place to do so.  

A day with… Eva Geraldine Fontanelli

 

A walk around Maggiolina is a special experience: Eva Geraldine Fontanelli, an eco-entrepreneur with a background in journalism, will guide us as we discover Milan’s “garden district”, with its hidden historic villages and unconventional architecture. Are you ready?

 

Dils Podcast – Maggiolina

 

Giorgio Terruzzi guides us to discover Maggiolina, a neighborhood also known for Via Gluck, the famous street where Adriano Celentano was born. As the “Molleggiato” himself sang in 1966, “Where there was grass, now there’s a city”. Lyrics which described the amazing growth of buildings in the area – especially in rationalist style – including the iconic Villa Palafitta built by Luigi Figini.

 

In this episode we walk through the heart of the neighborhood, the Villaggio dei Giornalisti. A residential complex built in 1911, this district was originally inhabited mostly by editors of the Corriere della Sera newspaper.

Our journey continues as we pass by new constructions and ancient buildings such as Cascina delle Mele. In this former convent, a girl named Marianna spent her childhood in the 16th century after entering the facility aged 13 under the name Sister Virginia Maria.

In a fascinating merge of history and fiction, Alessandro Manzoni took inspiration from her as he depicted the Nun of Monza character in his most famous novel “The Bethrothed”.

Also joining Terruzzi are architect Luca Piatti and Pasticceria Martesana’s founder Vincenzo Santoro.

Discover more

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Experience the neighborhood:

Isola

Experience the neighborhood:

Lambrate

Experience the neighborhood:

Porta Romana