Corso Buenos Aires

“The Corso Buenos Aires neighborhood, in its architectural dimension, has a welcoming and affable appearance with a discreet elegance that doesn’t put on airs, an elegance that is typical of the city of Milan.”

This is how the Milanese poet Maurizio Cucchi describes Corso Buenos Aires, where he was born, among historic buildings, tenement houses, workshops and shops that one encounters walking along the pleasant promenade that runs from Porta Venezia to Piazzale Loreto.

The street was born in 1782 as Corso Loreto because by walking along it you could reach the sanctuary dedicated to Santa Maria di Loreto and was then renamed Corso Buenos Aires on the occasion of the Universal Exhibition of 1906 during which the city assumed an international image.

Today, with its lively sobriety, Corso Buenos Aires mixes modern buildings, houses from old Milan and buildings of architectural interest, creating a watershed between the old working-class neighborhood of the Central Station and the bourgeois residential area that winds around Via Morgagni, in a blend that has the flavor of an urban and pop Milan, both ancient and modern.

Let’s walk the 1,600-meter promenade together, starting from Piazzale Loreto. Drawn by the many glittering shop windows, we can’t help but glance up at number 66, where Casa Centenara stands. This small Art Nouveau gem, designed by architect Giovan Battista Bossi, features sinuous female figures jutting from the façade, framing the top-floor windows between wrought-iron balconies.

Continuing your stroll along the opposite sidewalk, it’s worth stopping at number 53, where you’ll find La Stilografica, a shop recognized as a historic shop. Here, among early 20th-century furnishings, you can discover an infinite variety of pens and fountain pens.

Right next to the Best Western Hotel City is the building that houses the Elfo Puccini Theater, a cultural institution in the city. Built in 1902 and subsequently renovated several times until its current state, with three auditoriums and a capacity of 800, it boasts a program of Contemporary Art theater performances unique in Milan.

Walking toward Porta Venezia, the shops follow one another uninterruptedly, occupying the ground floors of some of the most prestigious buildings, for example from numbers 18 to 26; while on the other sidewalk, the Benetton building at number 19, built by the Austrians in the 19th century, stands out for its striking shape.

Let’s now take a small detour from our itinerary and take Via Felice Casati on our right, a street full of small restaurants and bars, including Pavè, a pastry shop opened by a team of talented young chefs, where you can taste excellent desserts (also in single-serving sizes) in a youthful and informal atmosphere.

Returning to Corso Buenos Aires after this pleasant stop, it’s worth stopping at Cappelleria Mutinelli at number 5, an old shop founded in 1888, where, among period furnishings and wrought iron, you can see and purchase handcrafted hats of the most varied styles.

Nearing Porta Venezia, we conclude our visit with one of the area’s most distinctive 19th-century buildings: Palazzo Luraschi, at 1 Corso Buenos Aires, also known as the “House of the Promessi Sposi” because its courtyard features 12 busts of characters from Manzoni’s novel, honoring the events that took place in this very spot. Inside the courtyard, four columns from the old Lazzaretto, reused by the architect Luraschi to preserve the memory of that place, stand out, along with wrought iron, Lombard terracotta decorations, and a beautiful wooden portal. The palace is privately owned, but you can glimpse some of its exquisite details from the entrance door.

We’ve reached the end of our walk! We can choose whether to continue toward the Duomo, wander through the surrounding streets, or turn back, gazing at the many shop windows that line the sidewalk with lights and colors and soaking up the unique atmosphere of this lively and timeless neighborhood.