Parco Sempione: the green island in Milan's concrete sea

Stepping out of the Cairoli metro into the Milanese chaos and finding yourself a hundred meters later in a huge lawn where children are playing soccer and adults are reading under the trees: this urban miracle is called Parco Sempione, and it's the breath of fresh air that transforms Milan from an asphalt jungle into a livable city.

Thirty-eight hectares of green space in the absolute center of the city are a luxury that few European capitals can afford. Where the Dukes of Milan once hunted, modern Milanese now hunt for relaxation: some go jogging at dawn before heading to the office, some take their dogs to stretch their legs, and others organize aperitifs on the grass after work.

The small lake at the center of the park is the magnet that attracts everyone. Ducks and swans swim placidly while turtles bask on floating logs. Weeping willows grow around the water, creating romantic spots perfect for first declarations of love or simply for isolating oneself from the city hustle. The reflections of the Porta Nuova skyscrapers mirrored in the water create surreal contrasts between nature and modernity.

Walking from the Castle to the Arco della Pace through the entire park is like taking a journey through time. You start from the medieval walls of the Sforzesco Castle with its red brick towers, cross English-style pathways among secular oaks and gigantic plane trees, and arrive at the neoclassical Arco della Pace (Arch of Peace), which closes the perspective like a theatrical backdrop.

The life of the park changes with the hours. Runners and seniors doing gentle exercise dominate in the morning, families with strollers and children on tricycles arrive in the afternoon, and the evening is the time for young people who gather on the lawns for guitars and chats late into the night.

The events here never end: summer concerts in the Arena, exhibitions at the Triennale overlooking the park, Sunday markets, and festivals of all kinds that transform the lawns into natural stages. Even the Acquario Civico (Civic Aquarium), a small Art Nouveau gem hidden among the trees, offers surprises with its tanks full of local fish.

No directions are needed: from any point in the center of Milan, Sempione can be reached on foot in a few minutes. Take the Red Metro line to Cairoli or Cadorna, or the Yellow Metro line to Cadorna. It's always open, from dawn till dusk, free, and no reservations are necessary. Just bring the desire to slow down: here in the beating heart of Milan, time flows at the rhythm of the seasons and not that of the Piazza Affari Stock Exchange.

Photo credits: Terragio67 - licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license.