Walking around the Ticinese neighbourhood, I noticed a billboard advertising an exhibition ‘Obey- the art of Shepard Fairey’’! Woo hoo, one of the world’s most influential and internationally recognized street artists, exhibiting in Milan. So that was my first stop for the day. An amazing visual and conceptual journey through the artist’s 35-year career, featuring a rich collection of works personally selected, featuring iconic themes in his art: propaganda, peace and justice, music, and environment.

“Through my art, I want to remind people of the equal humanity of all people, regardless of their race, religion, nation, or culture. There is no us versus them; there is only us.” 

Best known for the “HOPE” poster, a portrait of Barack Obama and an emblem of the 2008 presidential campaign, Obey’s style has a minimalist palette, influenced by the hip-hop and punk cultures, challenging social conventions – inviting the audience to question and take a stance on current issues.

Ready for more art, caught a couple of trams to check out the “Gucci mural”. Since 2017, in Largo La Foppa, the Gucci Art Wall boasts 176 square metres available for mural art. Just opposite the Radetzky Café/Bar, looms this huge urban canvas – this month dedicated to Debra Harry, ex Blondie and Gucci campaign-ista pictured with an adorable Yorkie.

And then, inquisitively popping by head through a gate leading to a secluded apartment block… saw another mural ….of a portico with a real garden in the foreground.

Radetsky Bar, with iconic outdoor sofas and elegant architecture, has been a hangout for socialites since 1988. Perfect for brekkie, brunch, aperitif (with nibbles), or dinner.  I had a refreshing passionfruit cocktail.

Took an Uber to see the “Vertical Forest”, Bosco Verticale, a prototype for a new building with large and small trees, shrubs, and ground covering plants providing 30,000 square metres of vegetation of woodland and undergrowth, concentrated on 3,000 square metres of urban surface. The greenery filters light creating a welcoming microclimate, regulates humidity, produces oxygen and absorbs CO2. A specialist team of ‘flying gardeners’ (arborist-climbers), who use mountaineering techniques once a year to descend the building, pruning and checking plants for removal and substitution. Irrigation is centralised, monitored remotely. AND….the Forest has given birth to a habitat colonised by numerous animal species (including 1600 specimens of birds and butterflies), establishing an outpost of spontaneous flora and fauna recolonisation in the city. AMAZING!

Ratana was my lunch spot over the road from the Vertical Forest, with lots of seafood options and a very cute menu presentation, these fish images dotted throughout the food descriptions.