Torre Branca: Gio Ponti's Steel Tower and the Best View in Milan

Milan has no shortage of high places, but the Torre Branca is the most unusual: a slender steel lattice, 108 metres tall, standing among the trees of Parco Sempione since 1933. A tiny lift takes six people at a time to a platform with a 360-degree view. From Taylor's Love Solferino B&B it is a fifteen-minute walk.

Torre Branca, Milan. Photo: Arbalete, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Getting There from Our B&B

On foot: approximately 1.3 km, about 16 minutes from Via Solferino 56, through Brera and into Parco Sempione beside the Castello.

By metro: from Moscova (M2 green line), 300 metres away, one stop to Cadorna or Lanza, then a short walk into the park.

Built in Two Months for a Trade Fair

The tower was designed by Gio Ponti – with the engineers Cesare Chiodi and Ettore Ferrari – for the Fifth Triennale in 1933. It went up in about two months, a demonstration of what Italian steel could do, and was originally called Torre Littoria.

It closed in 1972 and stood shut and rusting for twenty years. The Branca distillery – the makers of Fernet-Branca – paid for the restoration, and it reopened in 2002 under their name.

Ponti went on to design the Pirelli Tower, which for decades was the tallest building in Italy. This slim structure in the park was his first experiment with height.

The View

• South-east – the Duomo, unmistakable, with the Madonnina catching the light.
• North-east – the Porta Nuova skyline: the UniCredit Tower and the Bosco Verticale.
• Below – the whole of Parco Sempione, the Castello Sforzesco and the Arco della Pace lined up along the park's axis.
• North, on a clear day – the Alps. Winter and early spring, after rain, give the best chance.

Practical Information

• Opening hours: limited and seasonal – typically afternoons and evenings from Wednesday to Sunday, with reduced winter hours. Always check before setting out.
• Admission: around 6 euro.
• The lift: takes six people; expect a short queue at busy times.
• Best time to visit: an hour before sunset. The light on the Duomo is at its best and the city lights come on while you are up there.
• Note: the platform is open to the air and enclosed by mesh. Not ideal if you dislike heights.
• Just Cavalli – the bar and club at the foot of the tower, a Milanese institution in summer.

Combine It With Parco Sempione

The tower sits inside the park, so it pairs naturally with the Castello Sforzesco, the Arco della Pace and the Triennale, which is a hundred metres away. An easy plan: castle in the morning, Triennale after lunch, tower at sunset, dinner back in Brera.

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. The tower's opening hours are irregular and it closes in bad weather – being fifteen minutes away means a wasted trip costs you nothing.

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. Porta Garibaldi FS, 700 metres away, connects directly to Malpensa Airport with the Malpensa Express.