360 :: a spherical panoramic journey in 2668 pieces

The tall building nearby is the 127-metre Pirelli Tower from the 60s. Late afternoon on April 18, 2002, a Rockwell Commander 112, an airplane with a single engine registered in Switzerland, hit the building. The aircraft was apparently scheduled to fly from Locarno to Milan. The plane was low on fuel and Linate Airport was preparing an emergency landing prior to the crash, but the pilot suddenly wandered off and flew right into the building. The pilot and two people inside the tower were killed in the accident. (Text based on Wikipedia).

"Proposals for a subway system in Milan were made as early as 1848. Other projects were drawn up in 1914 and 1925. In 1938 planning proceeded for construction of a system of 7 lines, but this too halted after the start of World War II. Construction finally began in 1957. In 1906, an Elevated Light Rail was built for the World's Fair Exhibition. The line linked the two main areas of the Fair between the Piazza d'Armi and the Arena Stadium close to the city centre. The line was dismantled 8 years later. It can be considered the first Italian electric public transport line totally independent of other railway lines. The first line (Line M1) of the subway was opened in Milan in 1964 after 7 years of work, from Lotto to Sesto Marelli (21 stations). In 1969 the second line (Line M2) from Caiazzo to Cascina Gobba (7 stations) was opened. In the 1960s and 1970s the network of 2 lines was completed, and both lines have 2 different spurs. Line M1 has a west branch from Pagano Station, and Line M2 has an east branch from Cascina Gobba to Gessate, running far away in the metropolitan area with 10 stations. In 1990 the third line (Line M3) was opened, with 5 stations. The other 9 stations on Line M3 opened to the southeast in 1991, and northwest to Maciachini Station in 2004." (Text from Wikipedia).

Castello Sforzesco used to be the seat and residence of the ruling family of Milan and now houses several of the city's museums and art collections. The original construction on the site began in the 14th century. In 1450, Francesco Sforza began reconstruction of the castle, and it was further modified by later generations. A number of these rooms originally had elaborate internal decoration - the best known of these being the Sala Delle Asse with surviving ceiling paintings by Leonardo da Vinci. After the French victory in the 1515 Battle of Marignano, the defeated Massimiliano Sforza, his Swiss mercenaries and the cardinal-bishop of Sion retreated into the Castello Sforzesco. However, King Francis I of France followed them into Milan, and his sappers placed mines under the castle's foundations, whereupon the defenders submitted. After the unification of Italy in the 19th century, the restoration of the castle was started following its transfer from military use to the city of Milan. The restoration work was directed by Luca Beltrami. The central Filarete tower above the main city entrance was rebuilt between 1900 and 1905 as a monument to King Umberto I. The castle was severely damaged as a result of the allied bombardment of Milan in 1943 during World War II. The post-war reconstruction of the building for museum purposes was undertaken by the BBPR architectural partnership. (Text based on Wikipedia).

"Here, springing from its broad marble flagstones, were the long files of spires, looking very tall close at hand, but diminishing in the distance like the pipes of an organ. We could see now that the statue on the top of each was the size of a large man, though they all looked like dolls from the street. We could see, also, that from the inside of each and every one of these hollow spires, from sixteen to thirty-one beautiful marble statues looked out upon the world below.

From the eaves to the comb of the roof stretched in endless succession great curved marble beams, like the fore-and-aft braces of a steamboat, and along each beam from end to end stood up a row of richly carved flowers and fruits—each separate and distinct in kind, and over 15,000 species represented. At a little distance these rows seem to close together like the ties of a railroad track, and then the mingling together of the buds and blossoms of this marble garden forms a picture that is very charming to the eye." (Mark Twain: The Innocents Abroad, 1864).