Porta Volta Explained

Official Name:Porta Volta
Settlement Type:Quartier of Milan
Pushpin Label Position:bottom
Subdivision Type:Country
Subdivision Name: Italy
Subdivision Type1:Region
Subdivision Name1:Lombardy
Subdivision Type2:Province
Subdivision Name2:Milan
Subdivision Type3:Comune
Subdivision Name3:Milan
Subdivision Type4:Zone
Subdivision Name4:8
Unit Pref:Imperial
Timezone:CET
Utc Offset:+1
Timezone Dst:CEST
Utc Offset Dst:+2

Porta Volta is a former city gate of Milan, Italy, part of the Spanish walls (16th century). Nowadays, the name "Porta Volta" is most commonly used to refer to the surrounding district ("quartiere"), part of the Zone 8 administrative division of the city.

Porta Volta was built in 1860 to connect the city to the Monumentale cemetery. In the following decades it acquired a more important role as a consequence of the construction of Milano Porta Garibaldi railway station, which interrupted the road to Como through Porta Garibaldi. A new road to Como was built to replace the old one. This road was known informally as "Comasina", formally as "Via Carlo Farini". This road branched off from Via Ceresio at Piazzale Antonio Baiamonti, a road junction located immediately outside of Porta Volta.

While the walls and the gates have been demolished, the toll gates (dating back to 1880) have remained.[1]

An important renewal plan for the Porta Volta district has been submitted in 2010 by Swiss architecture firm Herzog & de Meuron. As a part of the plan, Porta Volta will become a cultural centre, with a large library, the new headquarters of the Feltrinelli publishing house, and vast green areas.[2]

See also

Notes

  1. Caselli di Porta Volta (in Italian)
  2. Porta Volta, nasce il polo della cultura (in Italian)

45.4819°N 9.1819°W