Milan will have its own...plant-based Colosseum by 2022

By 2022, Milan will have the largest archaeological park in the city with thegreen Colosseum amphitheater: PAN Parco Amphitheatrum Naturae, near the M4 De Amicis-Anfiteatro stop.

The works, promoted and directed by Superintendent Antonella Ranaldi in agreement with the City of Milan and carried out with funding from MiBACT and thanks to contributions from private sponsorships, began in December 2018, and now the Amphitheater Park has doubled its extension (from 12,500 to 22,300 square meters), made possible by annexing the adjacent and abandoned areas on Via Conca del Naviglio and those on Via Arena. The entire 150 x 120-meter site of the Ancient Amphitheater was recovered in this way. The archaeological excavations carried outby the Soprintendenza Archeologia, Belle Arti e Paesaggio for the Metropolitan City of Milan unearthed the foundations of the Roman Amphitheater tracing the plan of the ellipse: as many as fourteen radial septa of the steps around the arena, the possible Porta Triumphalis, the orientation, the dimensions, and the number of arches of the Roman Amphitheater.

Established in 2004, the park will flourish larger (10 hectares in total) in an unprecedented Amphitheatrum naturae, in the Archeologia green project empathetic to the place and its antiquity and at the same time innovative and contemporary in the iconic shape of the ellipse of PAN Park Amphitheatrum naturae by architect Attilio Stocchi: a large garden inspired by the ancient viridaria, with new plantings 105 trees and 1700 sq. m. of boxwood, privet, and myrtle hedges that evoke the plan of the Amphitheater, outlining the sediment and footprint of the lost amphitheater to contour and complement the archaeological remains unearthed. An annular path of tall trees will mark the outer ellipse of the Amphitheater and the encroachment of the entire extension with the arena intended for performances. A land art project that recovers the theme of symbiosis between nature and antiquity, greenery and ruins.

The project also aims to redevelop the entire area, of strategic importance in the cultural and tourist itineraries of Roman Milan: a path entirely in the green extended over ten hectares will unite the Amphitheater to the Columns, the Basilica of San Lorenzo and Sant’Eustorgio through the Basilicas Park, revitalizing the ancient routes of Via Arena, Via Vetere, Corso di Porta Ticinese.

A video presentation of the project can be found at this link.

Image: PAN Park Amphitheatrum Naturae. Credits Soprintendenza Archeologia, Belle Arti e Paesaggio for the metropolitan city of Milan.

Milan will have its own...plant-based Colosseum by 2022

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