CityLife (Milan)
CityLife is a residential, commercial and business district situated a short distance from the old city centre of Milan, Italy; it has an area of 36.6 hectares (90 acres). It is a redevelopment project on the former grounds of Fiera Milano after its relocation to the nearby town of Rho. The development is being carried out by a company controlled by Generali Group after its winning offer of €523 million for the rights. The project was designed by famous architects such as Zaha Hadid, Arata Isozaki and Daniel Libeskind.
Generali Tower
Generali Tower, or Hadid Tower (lo Storto, "the Twisted One"), is an office skyscraper completed in 2017 in Milan, Italy that reaches a height of 177.4 m (582 ft) with 44 floors (+ 3 floors basement), and a total floor area of about 67,000 square metres (720,000 sq ft). Its designer is the Anglo-Iraqi architect Zaha Hadid, hence it is also called torre Hadid ("Hadid Tower"). The geometry of the building is that of a warping shape, where both the floors dimension and their orientation vary along the tower axis. The structure is concrete and composite. A central core acts as main horizontal stiffening and resisting element. Foundations are of mixed raft and piles type, where the piles are used as settlement reduction devices. The base raft is a 2.5-metre-thick (8.2 ft) concrete slab, resting on 64 piles arranged in clusters and points under the main load points. In order to resist the main torsional effects due to the warped column arrangement, the core lintels above main doors feature composite solutions with a mixed use of steel elements, rebar and concrete. Due to the specific form-dependent deformation effects, a highly sophisticated stage analysis both for construction and long-term effects has been performed. A steel, free form podium for commercial use surrounds the base of the building. In October 2019 the tower was awarded first place for excellence in the high-rise category by the American Concrete Institute. The building hosts offices of Assicurazioni Generali, the third largest insurance group in the world by revenue. In June 2025, the signage on top of the building displaying the Generali logo partially collapsed.
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Open in Atlas MapFrequently Asked Questions
How long does the Milan architecture walking tour take?+
The self-guided walking tour covers approximately 15.7 km with 10 stops. Allow approximately 7 hours including 20 minutes of viewing time per building.
Is the Milan architecture tour free?+
Yes, this is a completely free self-guided walking tour. You can view the route on the interactive map, export it to Google Maps for navigation, and explore at your own pace.
Do I need to book the Milan architecture tour in advance?+
No booking is required — this is a self-guided tour that you can start at any time. All buildings can be viewed from the outside. For guided tours with expert commentary, we recommend checking GetYourGuide for local architecture tours.
What is the best time to do the Milan architecture walking tour?+
Morning light (before 11am) is ideal for photography of building facades. Weekdays tend to be less crowded around commercial buildings. Allow a full half day for the complete tour.