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Sempione Park (Parco Sempione) is a large public park in Milan. It opened in 1888 and sits between the Sforza Castle and the Arch of Peace.
Structures
The park features several permanent structures. They include the Civic Arena (Arena Civica), a stadium that opened in 1807; Civic Aquarium of Milan (Acquario Civico di Milano), built in 1905; Branch Tower (Torre Branca), a lookout tower built in 1933; the Palazzo dell’Arte, which opened in 1933 and hosts an art exhibition called the Triennale di Milano; and the Sempione Park Library (Biblioteca Parco Sempione).
A Walk in the Park
We didn’t visit any of the structures and only walked around the park. In the center, we admired one of the monuments, the Monument to Napoleon III. It was made by Francesco Barzaghi in 1886.
There’s also a small pond encircled by a path. The pond is filled with ducks and has a small but attractive Bridge of the Mermaids (Ponte delle Sirenette), crossing one end. The bridge was built between 1840 and 1842. In addition, there are plenty of places scattered around the park to get a drink or snack.
Arch of Peace
At the north end of the park is the Arch of Peace (Arco della Pace), which was built in 1807 under Napoleon by architect Luigi Cagnola. Construction was abandoned and it wasn’t completed until 1838.
Historically, the Arch of Peace sits in an area that was a gate to the city called Porta Sempione. The arch stands 25m tall and is 24m wide. It includes several decorations and reliefs. The former customs house of the gate stands next to the arch.
