Living in CityLife, Milano

Tre Torri ("Three Towers") is the symbolic centre of CityLife - the masterplan by Hadid, Isozaki and Libeskind that redeveloped the old Fiera Milano fairground (closed in 2005) into a residential, retail and office district. The three towers themselves stand on Piazza Tre Torri: Arata Isozaki's Il Dritto (the Straight One, the Allianz Tower, Italy's tallest building at 209 metres), Zaha Hadid's Lo Storto (the Twisted One, the Generali Tower), and Daniel Libeskind's Il Curvo (the Curved One, the PwC Tower). Around them sit the CityLife Shopping District (a covered pedestrian mall), the Tre Torri park (one of Milano's larger contemporary green spaces), and the Hadid and Libeskind residential complexes - the only signature-architect residential blocks at this scale in Italy.

Who lives here

A particular slice. Senior executives of the corporate tenants (Allianz, Generali, PwC), young professionals at the same firms in the more compact apartments, international expats on three-year corporate contracts, fashion and design professionals, professional athletes (Milano FC and Inter players have lived here at various points). The resident profile is younger, more international and more corporate than almost anywhere else in Milano. The buildings themselves are signature-architect new-builds with energy-efficient construction, condominio services (concierge, private gym, swimming pool, garden), and rent levels at the top of the Milanese market.

What it's like during the day

Clean, structured, international. Office workers arrive from the M5 lilac metro stop at Tre Torri and from the surface tram lines, business meetings happen in the corporate lobbies and at the cafés inside the shopping district. The pedestrian park around the towers is busy with prams, joggers and people on lunch breaks. Tourists come to photograph the architecture. The shopping district draws Milanese from across the city at weekends. The contrast with the surrounding historic Milano is sharp - turn out of Tre Torri into the older residential blocks of Buonarroti and you're in a different century.

What it's like in the evening

Polished but quiet. The restaurants and bars inside the CityLife Shopping District and along Piazza Tre Torri stay open into the evening, with the after-work corporate aperitivo crowd at the rooftop venues (the panoramic Maio at La Rinascente in the centre, the rooftop bars at the various hotels nearby). Outside the district itself, the streets quiet down by 11 PM. The aperitivo and nightlife energy of Brera, Navigli, Isola or Porta Nuova requires a metro ride. Weekends are slower than weekdays.

Getting around

The M5 lilac metro stop at Tre Torri opened in 2015 and connects directly to San Siro stadium and to Garibaldi. The M1 red line stop at Amendola is a ten-minute walk; the M1 Buonarroti is the same distance in the other direction. Tram lines 16, 19 and 27 cover the perimeter. The Cadorna Stazione Nord and the Malpensa Express are fifteen minutes away by tram. Walking to the centre takes 25-30 minutes. The bike lane on Viale Cassiodoro is comfortable. Area C does not cover Tre Torri but parking in the underground garages comes with a premium.

Eating and shopping

The CityLife Shopping District is the everyday anchor - Italian fast-casual, sushi, Levantine, modern Italian, the Esselunga on the lower floor, the Eataly outpost. Outside the mall, restaurants on Viale Cassiodoro and Via Senofonte cover modern Italian and international cuisine. The Mercato Comunale di Wagner (one of Milano's oldest covered markets) is a ten-minute walk away and handles fresh produce. For groceries, the Esselunga and several Carrefour Express around the perimeter cover most needs. The Fiera Milano City fairground (now mostly residential after the move to Rho) hosts occasional events.

When NOT to pick it

If you want historic Milano, neighborhood texture, or affordability. Tre Torri is one of the most expensive residential corners of the city, the architecture is firmly contemporary rather than historic-Milano, and the lack of organic neighborhood character - the trattorie, the bar on every corner, the Mercato - disappoints residents wanting the postcard version of the city. The wind tunnels around the towers in winter are real. The shopping district can feel sterile in a January evening.

Tre Torri works particularly well for senior corporate executives at the resident tenants, for international expats on short-to-medium-term assignments who value the condominio services and proximity to the office, for couples in their thirties or forties without strong attachment to old Milano, and for professionals who appreciate signature architecture. For families seeking neighborhood schools and traditional Milanese texture, the adjoining Buonarroti and Pagano are calmer and cheaper.