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

Tibetan bridges, the attraction of height without the risk

Four suspension bridges in Lombardy

Active & Green

Il Fiore di Borgoratto Mormorolo

A new network of hiking trails in Oltrepò Pavese.

Active & Green

4 locations to visit in winter

Winter is not just about sports you can do in the snow, it is also the time when nature reveals its fairytale heart.

Active & Green

The Wayfarer's Path in Varenna

From Varenna walk along the The Wayfarer's Path and discover this ancient route connecting Lake Como and Valtellina

Active & Green

Birdwatching in Lombardy

Parks, nature reserves and oases where you can take a glimpse into the secret lives of birds

Active & Green

Foliage in Lombardy

From Via Francigena to the Cadorna Line. Discover where to see the autumn colours in Lombardy

Active & Green

Where to do Horseback Riding in Lombardy

Active & Green

Learn from nature in the lowlands of the Po Valley

Take a lesson, and much more, from the educational farms on the Lombardy Plains, learning about the environmental and cultural wealth of our countryside.

Active & Green

Teglio walk - Verida - Palama - Ravarola - Teglio

Simple walk through the characteristic rural mid-mountain environment, where cultivated fields, meadows, vineyards and orchards alternate. Depending on the season, typical tellin crops of potatoes, barley, rye and buckwheat can be seen.

Active & Green

Artist’s giant benches

The hunt is on. Discover six of the brightly coloured, supersized Big Benches by Chris Bangle that are adding to the scenery in Lombardy.

Active & Green

Ten Snowshoeing Treks in Lombardy

Choose a route through the woods or try out a panoramic trail on your snowshoeing trek!

Active & Green

Lombardy, land of spring waters

Fountains and springs, the natural oases of Lower Lombardy

Active & Green

Where to Go Fishing in Lombardy

Carps, chars, trout. River and lake fish. Some advice on where to go fishing in Lombardy. From Pavia to Como

Active & Green

The ReGiS: Network of Historic Gardens.

A Network for the enhancement and proper management of historic gardens and parks open to the public in Lombardy

Active & Green

Mountain flowers in May

Six itineraries to discover this month's flowers in the mountains of Lombardy

Active & Green

Spring in Lombardy

Spring has arrived ... all to discover the beauties of Lombardy!

Active & Green

Walks for everyone

Besides many shelters of Valmalenco, easily attainable from families and who approaches to the world of hiking for the first time, we signal some simple itineraries suitable for all.