Milan: Renovation work on Piazza Santo Stefano begins tomorrow. The project, supported by a total investment of approximately 900,000 euros, aims to significantly improve the urban quality of the square, which is home to the Basilica of Santo Stefano Maggiore—one of the city’s most important churches, also famous because it was here, on September 30, 1571, Caravaggio was baptized, and the equally famous Sanctuary of San Bernardino alle Ossa, known for its ossuary. The square will be transformed into a greener space, blending seamlessly with Via Verziere, Via Brolo, and Corso Statale: specifically, the parking lot located between the square’s entrance on Via Larga and Via Festa del Perdono will be removed.
The project primarily involves the creation of a ground-level pedestrian area that will extend between the churchyard of the Basilica of Santo Stefano Maggiore, the green space on Via Brolo, and the vehicular lanes on the north and west sides of the square. Within this new pedestrian space, green areas will be created with the planting of new trees and shrubs, while the paving will be made of permeable concrete—a material chosen because it is better suited to facilitating rainwater runoff and reducing surface overheating during the hottest months. As part of the same project, the existing public lighting system will also be upgraded, a measure that will help make the square safer and more livable, especially in the evening hours.
Alongside the creation of the new green pedestrian space, the construction project will also include paving the narrow street and the path connecting Piazza Santo Stefano to Via Festa del Perdono. In these sections, the street will be designed to maintain visual and material continuity with the square through the installation of stone paving that draws on traditional Milanese materials—namely, granite slabs and solid stone blocks, the latter obtained primarily by reusing cobblestones from Via Torino. The planned work on these sections will have no impact on the parking spaces reserved for people with disabilities or on the loading and unloading zones, which will be maintained in the same number and at their current locations.
City councilors Marco Mazzei, head of Public Space; Marco Granelli, delegate for Public Works; and Gaia Romani, who oversees Neighborhoods and Decentralization, explained that the comprehensive redevelopment of Piazza Santo Stefano will help achieve several objectives. The first involves freeing hundreds of square meters of land from asphalt—a measure that will effectively counteract the formation of the so-called “heat island,” a climatic phenomenon that has become a recurring issue in the central areas of large cities. Through this project, the council members added, it will also be possible to enhance the aesthetic appeal of a square that, until now, has effectively been relegated to serving solely as a parking lot, thereby restoring public space to the thousands of people who visit the area every day. Finally, the officials highlighted as a noteworthy aspect the use of stone materials, such as cobblestones salvaged from other city streets—a choice they view as a best practice for respecting Milan’s urban and historical heritage, capable of enhancing it within the city’s contemporary context.
The president of City District 1, Mattia Abdu, noted that the municipal administration had been awaiting the project in Piazza Santo Stefano for over ten years and that it is part of a broader framework of redevelopment efforts that, beginning in 2011, have encompassed the entire area south of Piazza Duomo. Among the most significant projects already completed in this area, Abdu cited those in Largo Corsia dei Servi, Largo Augusto, Largo Bersaglieri, Largo Richini, Piazza Missori, Via Sforza, and Via Velasca. These projects, explained the City Council president, were carried out according to an overall strategy aimed at reclaiming public space for pedestrian use and promoting environmental sustainability.
To minimize disruption to residents, businesses, and regular users of the square, the construction project—which will last a total of approximately 400 days—will be divided into several successive phases. The first phase will focus exclusively on the area of Via Brolo, while in a subsequent phase, work will gradually shift toward the central part of the square and, later, toward the narrow street and the roadway connecting Piazza Santo Stefano to Via Festa del Perdono. Thanks to this phased approach, vehicle traffic and access to driveways will be maintained throughout the entire duration of the construction project.
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| Milan: Piazza Santo Stefano Gets a Makeover—The Parking Lot Is Gone, and It’s Becoming a Greener Space |
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