Living in Rho Fiera Milano, Milano

Rho Fiera Milano is, in reality, a municipality in its own right: Rho, north-west of Milan (about 50,000 inhabitants), with its own historic centre and the Santuario dell'Addolorata. But the name recalls above all the great hub that rises next to it: the Fiera Milano, the Rho-Pero exhibition complex inaugurated in 2005 to a design by Massimiliano Fuksas - recognisable for the long glass "Vela" (sail) that runs between the pavilions - among the largest trade-fair centres in Europe (the Salone del Mobile is held here, among others). Alongside stretches the former site of Expo 2015, today MIND - Milano Innovation District, a district dedicated to the life sciences, where the Human Technopole (research institute) and the Ospedale Galeazzi-Sant'Ambrogio are based.

Who lives here

The Fiera and former-Expo area is made up more of pavilions and research centres than of homes. Those who live here, in practice, inhabit the town of Rho: a suburban community with its own identity, its own services and its own centre.

By day

Two souls. On one side the great trade-fair hub and the innovation district (events and trade shows at the Fiera, research and hospital at MIND). On the other the life of a town of the hinterland, with its centre and the sanctuary.

By night

Outside the major events, quiet and suburban. Real evening life is in Milan, reachable in about twenty minutes by metro.

Getting around

The connections are the strong point. The M1 red line has its western terminus here, Rho Fiera (inaugurated in 2005): the Duomo is about 20-25 minutes away. Next to it is a separate railway station, Rho Fiera Milano, on the Turin-Milan line: High Speed trains stop here (Frecciarossa and Italo - Turin in about 35 minutes), along with regional trains and the suburban lines S5, S6 and S11. The town also has its own station, Rho. For being in the hinterland, it is an exceptional transport hub.

Eating and shopping

Around the Fiera and MIND the offering is above all event- and business-public-oriented. For everyday life the reference is the centre of Rho, with its shops, markets and town venues.

When NOT to choose it

If you want to live inside Milan and its life: Rho is a municipality in its own right in the north-western hinterland, not a city district. On trade-fair days the area fills with traffic and crowds, and the immediate area around the Fiera/Expo is made of exhibition pavilions and the large spaces of the innovation district rather than inhabited streets.

Rho Fiera Milano works for those who work at the Fiera or in the MIND district (research, hospital) and for those looking for a quiet town with very fast connections towards Milan and Turin (M1 + High Speed rail). Those who want the atmosphere and life of a real Milanese district should instead look to the city's neighbourhoods.