- Art & Culture
Needle, Thread and Knot
Centrally positioned Piazzale Cadorna has the Milan Ferrovie Nord railway station, two underground lines that converge here, numerous trams and buses passing through and it is also the pickup point for shuttles to Malpensa airport. Just a short walk away are Castello Sforzesco and Sempione Park.
Piazzale Cadorna can be considered one of the most colourful areas in Milan. The entire square, and the station in particular, was completed renovated by the architect Gae Aulenti at the start of 2000, with the addition of wide pavements in pink granite, red columns, green panels, glass roofing and fountains.
In the centre of the square is the Needle, Thread and Knot sculpture by Claes Oldenburg and Coosje van Bruggen. This enormous piece comprises a 19-metre tall steel needle, stuck into the ground, and a multi-colour reinforced fibreglass thread, 86 metres long, that pops up in another point of the square with a knot on its end.
It is no coincidence that the sculpture disappears underground as it features the colours of the three different underground lines, linking above and below. One of the new symbols of Milan, it is a tribute to the creative and hardworking nature of the Milanese and Milan fashion.
The architecture, the sculpture and continual pedestrian traffic make Piazzale Cadorna one of the city's most contemporary and dynamic points.
