Living in Ortica, Milan
Affitto stanza singola tra privati Living in Ortica, Milan - senza agenzia - Milan
The small working-class village in eastern Milan, between Lambrate and Città Studi, cut off by the railways and left as a village. Today an open-air museum thanks to the murals of Ortica Memoria.
Ortica (in dialect L'Ortiga) is a small historic village in the eastern part of Milan, between Lambrate and Città Studi; the name derives from the nettles (ortiche) that grew in its fields. A hamlet of the municipality of Lambrate, it was annexed to Milan in 1923. Cut off from the railway lines, it has preserved a village character, with low period houses and a working-class soul. At the centre of the village is the old church of Santi Faustino e Giovita. In recent years Ortica has become famous for the OrMe - Ortica Memoria mural project, launched in 2015 by the Orticanoodles collective: about twenty large murals that tell the history and memory of Milan and Italy (women, work, music, sport, the Resistance), transforming the district into an open-air museum.
Who lives here
A small community of working-class roots, joined by curious visitors and tourists drawn by the murals. A village atmosphere and a strong sense of neighbourhood.
By day
Quiet and out of time: low houses, the village church, and above all the murals you discover walking through the streets. A corner of Milan with a slow rhythm, a stone's throw from the creative scene of Lambrate.
By night
Silent, with a few characterful venues. An institution of the village is the historic Balera dell'Ortica, a dance hall with themed evenings and live music.
Getting around
No metro within the village. The nearest stop is the M2 green line at Lambrate FS, reachable on foot across the railway that separates the two districts; the tram 5 has its terminus here ("Ortica"). It is an eastern area, compact and a little secluded.
Eating and shopping
Few but characterful addresses, including the Balera dell'Ortica and some of the village's historic taverns. For the rest it is a neighbourhood offering; the wider services are found in nearby Lambrate.
When NOT to choose it
If you are looking for services, choice and evening life: Ortica is very small, isolated by the railways, with an evening offering made of a few characterful venues rather than a real range. No metro within the village.
Ortica works for those looking for a quiet corner of village life with a strong character, with the murals and Lambrate within reach. Those who want more activity and services are better off in Lambrate itself or in Città Studi.