The new Milan: Cadorna and Skyscrapers

Milan works restless, Milan hosted the last International EXPO, Milan as a big modern capital. But Milan can be also a tourist attraction! Start your tour from the new train station of Cadorna designed by the famous architect Gae Aulenti. Here is the station of Malpensa Express connecting the city to the airport.

Here we have a famous sculpture: a giant Needle And Wire. It is one of the most discussed art works in Milan lately, made by two architects whose names are difficult to remember (’cause she is Dutch and he is Swedish…). Not easy to understand its meaning: the colored wire represents the subway going underground with its three lines, yellow, red and green. The sneaky composition reminds the heraldic symbol of the Family Sforza, who ruled over Milan in the past. And of course also the industriousness of the city, that was born in ancient times from the ability of tailors working on silk and cloths. The history of Milan about fashion starts long time ago.

From the train station of Cadorna reach the Garibaldi District by bike: here is the new Gae Aulenti Square surrounded by skyscrapers. That is her again, Gae Aulenti, who made up a new image of Milan that competes with New York, London, Rotterdam or Paris… Ten years ago there was nothing here, today – they say – it is the new pulse. That is Milan’s new technological and forward-looking image!

 

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Cover pic by Flickr User Josef Grunig

 

Video full text: Cadorna and skyscrapers, the new Milan

I’m in Milan.
A Milan that’s industrious, that’s feisty and that stages Expo.
The northern city of Milan is Italy’s operational capital. Milan.
Milan was created by a number of brilliant minds,
all of whom are headed up by the mastermind par excellence: Leonardo Da Vinci.
Milan is also where the sun shines, occasionally!
Here are the municipality’s bicycles. What’s that employee doing?
You’re moving the bikes from one place to another.
We sort them out every morning and every evening, filling the empty spaces.
It’s a never-ending task. Here someone is already in need of a bike and quickly.
This is typical Milanese efficiency!
I’m going to take a bike too, but I need help.
Patrizia is an architect from Milan. So how do I get hold of a bike?
Do you have a card? Never mind, let’s use mine.
We’ll take number 5. This is yours!
Mine? For today!
This is Cadorna station, the Malpensa Express departs from here.
Patrizia tells me about the new station in Cadorna, designed by Gae Aulenti.
Following the launch of the Malpensa Express
it became necessary to reorganise the spaces in this square.
Here we have the famous needle and thread,
one of the most talked about works in Milan in recent times.
It’s the brainchild of two architects with difficult sounding names, she’s Dutch, and he’s Swedish.
Its simplicity, however, does not make it easy to interpret.
The coloured thread undoubtedly represents the subway system,
with its three lines that pass beneath us: the yellow, the red and the green.
The snake-like volutes recall the heraldic symbol of the Sforza family.
And then, of course, Milan’s industriousness,
the ancient origins of which are to be found in the ability to work with silk and fabrics.
And in the skill of the tailors.
Milan’s historical involvement in fashion has roots that date from a very distant past.
I almost like it!

On my bike I reach Porta Nuova in the Garibaldi District,
and I’m in the new square in the centre of the skyscrapers.
So here we are, we meet at last. Where are we?
We’re in Piazza Gae Aulenti, the Milan’s new look.
But did you have to read it to say this?
Created for Expo, it is the technological and forward-looking image of Milan
that is the envy of New York, London, Rotterdam and Paris.
The Milan of the future!
Ten years ago there was nothing here, now it has become the new beating heart!
So what do we want to see in Milan?
Despite the look of a metropolis, Milan too has the land on which it stands.
I want to see the agricultural, natural Milan.
Leonardo, who was from Florence, lived and worked in Milan.
It was he, in fact, who invented the modern farm!
Leonardo is a very important person to investigate, even from an agricultural perspective.
But I’m interested in the here and now, Milan is an agricultural area,
and there is an interesting project entitled “Feeding Milan”.
There are some farmhouse right inside the city.
Milan was redesigned by Leonardo, take the Navigli waterways, for example.
He was the first to draw a perfect map of the city!
I’m not really interested in Leonardo!
Are there any cows grazing in Milan? That’s what I want to see!
But Leonardo is surprising, with his intelligence,
his ability to think about so many things at once.
He was capable of being an engineer, designing things for war, and he painted as well, and how.
Leonardo is Milan.
I’m going to have a look at a type of Milan that is surprising but in which Leonardo did not have a say.
We’ll meet back here when we’ve done our own thing.
We’re both on bicycles and this is what brings us together!
Yes, Milan should be seen on a bicycle!
That’s because this is an Italian Slow Tour.
Ciao! Let’s say farewell, but like this, in a trendy way.