Get off the traditional tourist roads in Milan and explore a unique neighborhood, Ortica District: Street Art in Milan! Even the locals are largely unaware of this colorful and lively part of the city, pervaded by its visible industrial heritage and contemporary cultural developments.
Thanks to the several large, stunning murals that adorn the neighborhood and depict famous figures and significant events in Milanese and Italian history, history is literally painted on the walls of Ortica. You may find pictures of politicians, athletes, entertainers, and many more people in Ortica. A visit to Ortica District is an excellent way to learn more about contemporary and historical Italian culture and to see Milan’s rapid development!
While touring the district, don’t forget to have a stop in one of the local bars, restaurants or shops to leave your little contribution to the community! Don’t forget to visit:
- La Balera dell’Ortica, Via G. A. Amadeo 78 Milano – The real icon of the district. This historic place is today managed by a group of young people who have managed to keep intact its spirit. La Balera dell’Ortica offers space for the bowling and an outdoor dance floor where, in any month of the year, themed evenings from ballroom dancing to rock ‘n’ roll are organized. The restaurant also offers home cooking, simple but very tasty with fixed price formulas to be enjoyed on long social tables, as in the past
- Pasticceria Eoliana, Via Ortica, 1 Milano – here time seems to have stopped. The bar offers all the best of the Sicilian confectionery tradition from Sicilian cannoli to granitas made according to the ancient Sicilian recipe and tradition cooked by hand and stored in the refrigerator wells
- Osteria del Generale, Via Ortica,15 Milano – Calabrian Cuisine
- Antica Trattoria Galeria,Via Arcangelo Corelli 27 Milano – ideal to rediscover the flavors of the past and relive a forgotten Milan
- Cascina Sant’Ambrogio, Via Cavriana, 38 Milano – the historic Cascina Sant’Ambrogio of medieval origin, today headquarters of the Cascinet social promotion association which organizes not only social dinners but also events with artistic theater performances or musical concerts of various kinds. Next to the farmhouse, its fields are now home to a farm and collective gardens as well as spaces for activities with children and scouts. A place of sociality and hospitality that makes the past its starting point for a better future Milan