This post is also available in: Italiano (Italian)

The original garden, owned by the Perego di Cremnago family, used to stretch to via Borgonuovo, including the area of the abandoned Monastery of Sant Erasmus. It had a formal design with rectangular parterres and a central elliptical fish pond, designed by the architect Luigi Canonica.

Later, it was modified to become an “English” garden (as suggested by Canonica and his garden manager Villoresi), removing the fishpond, the neo-Gothic greenhouse, and creating some suggestive clearings.
From 1925 on, some problems related to the link between the railway station and the city centre forced some urban rearrangements (De Finetti’s project) which also affected the gardens, only partially preserved.

In 1940, the Municipality found an agreement with the Perego family: a part of the garden was lost to a new road, while another section became a public area. All the original statues but one remained the property of the Peregos and they were all relocated. The “Vertumno”, a late XVIII century work of art by Grazioso Rusca, can still be seen today near the play area and the typical Milanese fountain – the sculpture is also called “the widow” or “the green dragon”. The current garden area is 1 acre-long

The main plant species include field maples (Acer campestre, A. platanoides, and A. pseudoplatanus), Judas trees (Cercis siliquastrum), European hornbeams (Carpinus betulus), oaks (Quercus robur), horse chestnuts (Aesculus hippocastanum), crepe-myrtles (Lagerstroemia indica), magnolias (Magnolia grandiflora), and yews (Taxus baccata). There is also a huge European nettle tree (Celtis australis).

The garden is open to the public from 7 am to 7 pm, from January to November, and from 7 am to 8 pm in the other months.

“Orticola di Lombardia” association has been tasked with the maintenance of the Perego Garden, in agreement with the Municipality of Milan and pursuant to the contract officialized in 2014. The association will use the revenues of the “Orticola market exhibition” for the maintenance of the garden in the next few years.

This post is also available in: Italiano (Italian)