The green heart of Milan

Culture and nature: in the heart of Milan, our itinerary explores the city's most beautiful gardens and green areas

Fashion, art, culture, history. Milan is the perfect destination for those looking for something new and different. But it also provides much more.

The gardens and green areas in the heart of the city are the perfect place to enjoy a little relaxation, an afternoon with friends, or a walk full of artistic delights and reflections in a natural setting, surrounded by the skyscrapers and nightlife that have always characterised the region's capital city.

Street after street, this itinerary will lead you on a journey of discovery to unique green corners in the midst of the frenzy of the city, departing from Via dei Giardini and arriving at Via Mozart, relaxing in the natural beauty of Milan's most beautiful parks.

A camera, packed lunch, and a good book: prepare your backpack and enjoy the green side of Lombardy's metropolis.

1. Perego Garden — The walk starts on Via dei Giardini, where you will find the first stop on this green itinerary. We are in front of the Perego Garden, an historic "English" style garden that was turned into a public park in the 1950s. The rocky seats positioned along the path, the flower beds, and the interesting tree specimens - including maples, yews, the Magnolia grandiflora and the Celtis australis - give the park a truly romantic atmosphere. (ph: Comune di Milano)

Read more

2. Via Senato Library Garden — Turning into Via Senato, along the circle of the Naviglio, we find ourselves in front of the Via Senato Library Foundation. Waiting for us inside is a small eighteenth-century garden, which has also served as a stage for productions by the "Teatro di Verdura": these events range from ancient prose to emerging shows, from classical music to jazz, and readings from the great classics, transforming this small green area into a timeless place full of emotions. (ph: Biblioteca di Via Senato)

Read more

3. Villa Belgiojoso Garden — Continuing our walk towards Via Marina, we will reach Via Palestro, where, on the left, we find the entrance to the third stop on our itinerary: the Garden of Villa Belgiojoso. Once the garden of Villa Comunale, it is a stunning example of an "English" garden, designed in the late 1700s by Leopold Pollark and restored in 1999. As soon as we enter we can spot important tree species such as the false lotus and the coffee tree.

Read more

4. Indro Montanelli Public Gardens — Located in front of the Belgiojoso Garden is the main entrance to the Indro Montanelli Public Gardens, the fourth stop on this green itinerary. Before us we find a prime example of an urban park for public use, designed in the late 1700s by the architect Giuseppe Piermarini with a "French" layout, and later revised by the architects Giuseppe Balzaretti and Emilio Alemagna in a landscape style.

Read more

5. Villa Necchi Garden — Leaving the park, we cross Corso Venezia to reach Via Mozart, where we find the final destination of our itinerary: the garden of Villa Necchi. It can't be seen from the road as the old owners, the Necchi Campiglio family, erected walls to surround their property.

Read more

Take me here: The green heart of Milan

6 slopes for the last skiing of the season

Bormio, Colere, Adamello Ski, Livigno, Madesimo and Santa Caterina Valfurva, ideal destinations for a ski-in, ski-out Easter

Active & Green

Suzzara forest

An urban forest in the Municipality of Suzzara, created to recreate an environment typical of the Po Valley of the past.

Active & Green

Five waterfalls to visit in Lombardy

Five ideas for a trip out of town to enjoy the spectacular waterfalls and picturesque scenery of Lombardy.

Active & Green

The Soapstone trail

A short loop trail that allows hikers to visit the ancient places where the renown soapstone of Pirlo used to be quarried and worked.

Active & Green

Lombardy: spring has come to town

Spring flowers bloom on the balconies, terraces, window sills and in the gardens of Lombardy's towns and villages

Active & Green

Discover Sporty!

The Lombardy Region App dedicated to mountain sports and tourism enthusiasts

Active & Green

The trail of memories and labours

This trail was dedicated to the memory of the inhabitants of Castione who, in the past generations, walked along this path carrying heavy pack baskets. The path linked the highest part of the town to the valley floor and allowed people to carry out farm works.