Close-up of the Fondazione Feltrinelli building

Herzog & de Meuron’s first public buildings in Italy, these two elongated, slanted structures look reminiscent of greenhouses. The Feltrinelli Foundation, which occupies one of the buildings, is home to one of its namesake bookshops (open 8am to 11pm Monday to Friday, 9.30am to 11pm Saturday and Sunday), an extremely good cafe, a reading room and a conference/events space. The other building is home to Microsoft's Italian hub.

In the future further shops, cafes and restaurants are expected to open in the ground-floor spaces. The complex's greenhouse-like design is no coincidence: the buildings were constructed on the site of a former nursery and take inspiration from Milan’s historic cascine (farmsteads). With steeply pitched roofs and shark-tooth edges, they bring an awesome dose of modernity to the surrounding neighbourhood.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby attractions

1. Piazza Gae Aulenti

0.27 MILES

Join locals sightseeing at this landmark square named after Italy's most famous female architect. The linchpin of Milan’s Porta Nuova regeneration project…

2. UniCredit Tower

0.29 MILES

Italy’s tallest skyscraper (231m) is home to its largest bank, Unicredit, which occasionally allows the public to visit its dramatic top-deck viewing…

3. Cimitero Monumentale

0.39 MILES

Behind striking Renaissance-revival black-and-white walls, Milan’s wealthy have kept their dynastic ambitions alive long after death with grand sculptural…

4. Bosco Verticale

0.41 MILES

Stefano Boeri’s ‘Vertical Forest’ consists of two high-rise apartment blocks whose many reinforced balconies overflow with around 700 trees and 20,000…

5. Biblioteca degli Alberi

0.46 MILES

Against a backdrop of shimmering skyscrapers and the Bosco Verticale, this modern urban park bustles with activity. Sprawling lawns, a rich variety of…

6. Arena Civica

0.51 MILES

The arena was Napoleon’s mini-colosseum, which he opened in flamboyant style with a chariot race in 1807. Built by Luigi Canonica, its design allowed it…

7. Basilica di San Simpliciano

0.53 MILES

San Simpliciano is one St Ambrose's four Milanese churches, built on a paleo-Christian cemetery with a red-brick Romanesque wrapping. Martyrs Sisinio,…

8. Casa della Memoria

0.54 MILES

In the shadow of the Bosco Verticale, you’ll spot a neon sign stating boldly ‘Do Not Kill’. It seems odd in this quiet corner, but it serves the ‘House of…