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This facility, known as the “Park of the Basilicas”, is set in a beautiful place between the basilicas of San Lorenzo and Sant’Eustorgio. Its common name comes from the fact that it connects those two very big churches. The wide connecting green corridor goes across via Molino delle Armi, in the Cerchia dei Navigli district.

The enhancement of the space behind San Lorenzo’s basilica began in 1925, while in the post-war period (according to the city plan of 1953), a public green space built as an “archaeological walk” was devised – it would have linked the apses of the two basilicas. In 1956, thanks to the Horticultural Association, two architects – Bagatti Valsecchi and Grandi – were tasked with the very park design. The redevelopment intervention carried out on the occasion of the year 2000 Jubilee, fitted the park with a surrounding fence.

The two sections of the park, separated by via Molino delle Armi, were later enhanced with the main path made extremely prominent by elm trees and decorated with a wide stretch of beach roses. Unfortunately, very little of the latter remain today, running longitudinally across the very backbone of the park.

The southernmost area now looks like a more traditional garden, prominently related to the Basilica of Sant’Eustorgio, and with no pedestrian walkways which used to fragment the whole green area. Two geometrically regular lawns were thus built.

Among the main tree species present here, several species of maple (Acer negundo, A. platanoides, A. saccharinum), the white hornbeam (Carpinus betulus), the miraculous purple leaves (Prunus cerasifera “Pissardii”), the beech ( Fagus sylvatica), English oak (Quercus robur), elm (Ulmus spp. ), Black pine (Pinus nigra), poplar cypress (Populus nigra “Italica”), common plane tree (Platanus x acerifolia), sofora (Sophora japonica); among the shrubby species, wrinkled rose spots, with beautiful autumn berries

Text and photo source:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/102687066@N07/16751101107
https://www.comune.milano.it/aree-tematiche/verde/verde-pubblico/parchi-cittadini/parco -Dad-john-paul-ii-ex-park-of-basilicas

This post is also available in: Italiano (Italian)