The Rainbow Quarter

You can let yourself be conquered by the majesty of the Duomo. You can be enraptured by the windows of Montenapoleone, the Quadrilatero della moda or the sumptuous Vittorio Emanuele Gallery. Enjoy a picnic in Parco Sempione or delve into the museums of Palazzo Reale or the Pinacoteca di Brera. Whatever habit, luxury or activity you want to give yourself, you already know that Milan will not disappoint you.

But if you are already a veteran, congratulations, the Milanese capital has no more secrets for you. Or maybe so you thought. A few steps from the crowded shopping streets of San Babila, there is a very secret street that few people know, often not even the Milanese themselves, an oasis of bright and colourful colours that deserves to be discovered.

From viale Premuda, turn in via Archimede and at the crossroads with via Benvenuto Cellini, pay attention. An aura enchanted with colours and shades will magically attract you, and you will have arrived in Via Abramo Lincoln. Traveling this characteristic road can make you think of many places: a small French village, a tailor-made Portobello Road, or even more a Venetian Burano. What is certain is that going along it you will be overwhelmed by a bold panache and an atmosphere that would never seem that of the Lombard metropolis. It is incredible to think that such an environment cannot immediately catch the eye, but the rainbow neighbourhood, so called for the bright colours that animate its buildings, is one of the most hidden and least known places ever.

Completely unknown to tourists and sometimes even to the locals themselves, it was born from the idea of ​​a building cooperative that at the end of the 19th century worked precisely in those places and needed farmhouses in which to live at a modest price. Prices today are perhaps no longer so modest, but the atmosphere you breathe is still enchanted: peace, calm and silence are the undisputed tenants of the neighbourhood, obviously together with the lucky few who live there.

The “workers’ village”, another name of the place, is in all respects a happy island, made up of many villas with Lilliputian gardens and well-kept lush plants. Among the pastel shades of purple, red, blue and green and lilac, numerous palm trees stand statuesque, an additional element that contributes to giving this place a decidedly exotic atmosphere.

It will certainly not be the new Notting Hill, but for those who want to get out of the typical Milanese habit and find themselves projected into a less touristy but more folkloristic dimension, it should definitely pass through here: an authentic toy town ready to dispel the myth of the traditional “Milan gray and sad. “