Pirelli HangarBicocca: Seven Concrete Towers Inside a Former Factory – and It Is Free

A disused locomotive factory in the northern suburbs, 15,000 square metres of industrial hall, and at the far end seven concrete towers up to twenty metres high by Anselm Kiefer. Pirelli HangarBicocca is the most extraordinary art space in Milan, and admission costs nothing. From Taylor's Love Solferino B&B it is a straightforward metro ride.

Pirelli HangarBicocca, Milan. Photo: Craig Whitehead, Wikimedia Commons, CC0.

Getting There from Our B&B

By metro: from Garibaldi FS, 700 metres from the B&B, take the M5 lilac line to Ponale – about 12 minutes – then walk roughly 700 metres. Door to door: around 30 minutes.

Note: Bicocca is a working district of offices and university buildings, not a scenic one. The walk from the metro is unremarkable; the space itself is not.

From Locomotives to Contemporary Art

The buildings were part of the Breda works, which built locomotives and industrial machinery from the early twentieth century. Production ended and the halls stood empty until Pirelli converted them in 2004.

The decision was to change as little as possible: the concrete floors, the overhead cranes, the vast unheated volumes were all left as they were. Artists are invited to respond to that scale rather than to a neutral gallery.

What to See

• The Seven Heavenly Palaces by Anselm Kiefer – seven leaning towers of stacked concrete containers, permanently installed since 2004. They are named after the palaces of Hebrew mystical tradition, and standing beneath them is genuinely unsettling.
• La Sequenza by Fausto Melotti – the tall steel sculpture outside the entrance.
• Temporary exhibitions – large-scale solo shows by major international artists, usually two or three a year, in the Navate and the Cubo.
• The Shed and the Navate – the industrial halls themselves, worth the visit for the architecture alone.

Practical Information

• Admission: free. Always.
• Opening hours: Thursday to Sunday, roughly 10:30 to 20:30. Closed Monday to Wednesday – check before travelling, as this catches people out.
• Time needed: about two hours.
• Dress warmly: the halls are unheated industrial spaces. In winter it is genuinely cold inside.
• Booking ahead: not required.

Worth the Journey?

Yes – but plan it as its own outing rather than squeezing it between other things, and check the opening days first. The Kiefer towers alone justify the trip, and the fact that it costs nothing makes it one of the best-value things to do in Milan.

Why Staying in Brera Makes the Difference

Taylor's Love Solferino B&B is at Via Solferino 56 in Zone 1, the historic centre, between Brera, Moscova and Corso Garibaldi. Garibaldi FS is 700 metres away and the M5 runs straight to Bicocca, which turns an awkward suburban trip into a simple one.

For travellers who prefer a short stay apartment in Milan centre to a hotel, the B&B offers free self check-in with a smart lock. The same station connects directly to Malpensa Airport with the Malpensa Express.