Prada bets on the future of Porta Romana

Yesterday broke the news of the sale of the former Porta Romana railway station, one of the seven former Milan stations at the centre of a redevelopment plan aimed at changing the face of the city. Ferrovie Dello Stato Italiane group sold the site to the Porta Romana Fund, winner of the tender, managed by Coima S.G.R, and made up of Convivio, Coima Esg City Impact Fund and above all Prada Holding, the group controlled by Patrizio Bertelli and Miuccia Prada. After a nine-month tender, the area was sold for 180 million euros. 

Milano, l'ex scalo di Porta Romana venduto per 180 milioni: lì nascerà il villaggio Olimpi

All three companies part of the winning group are closely linked to the architectural and urban development that has experienced Milan in recent years. Coima, for example, an urban planning company based in Milan, is responsible for many of the buildings in Porta Nuova. Convivio, an Italian-French group, is already involved in the development of various projects in an area close to that of the former station, with the new Symbios district. Finally, the Prada group is the main responsible for the relaunch and redevelopment of an area once abandoned, now reborn thanks to the Fondazione Prada. Built five years ago in a former distillery, the temple of contemporary art has quickly become one of the most important cultural centres of the city. With this acquisition, the Prada group continues to bet on the future of the district. 

Although the master plan has yet to be defined and with it the beginning of the works, it's already clear what will be the first use of the site. In fact, the Olympic Village for the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics will be built here. At the end of the event, the structures will be converted into student houses, residences and offices. 

The ultimate goal is the creation of a huge green area, a project similar to the ones that led to the construction of places that are now symbols of Milan, such as the Biblioteca degli Alberi and CityLife. The first renderings of the park, which according to many rumours would be managed by Prada itself, with the possible introduction of works of art and statues for the site, also see the presence of a large body of water. The area will still be perfectly connected with the rest of the city, the Porta Romana station will be renovated and part of the railway that today crosses the site will be disposed of, while another part will be partially underground. "The railway line that is still active will be covered by a green hill and topped by overpasses that will connect the large south-east neighbourhoods, already undergoing renovation, to the adjacent historic centre", said Coima. 

The redevelopment of the former Porta Romana station will be a key moment in redefining the role of Milan in Italy, as in the rest of Europe. The Olympics will be a strategic opportunity to reactivate the tourist flow and the economic induction it creates, but the project must necessarily be long-term, driven by a broader idea that can redesign the architecture of the city in the future.