Torre Branca, Steel observation tower in Parco Sempione, Milan, Italy
Torre Branca is an observation tower standing 109 meters high in Parco Sempione, designed by Gio Ponti and Cesare Chodi with a hexagonal steel structure. An elevator travels through the open framework with multiple levels to reach a viewing platform at the top.
The tower was built in 1933 for the fifth Milan Triennial and was initially named Torre Littoria, then Torre del Parco. The structure was completed in a few months to accompany the exhibition and received its current name 70 years later.
The tower has borne the Branca family name since 2002, industrialists who financed its restoration. The slender steel structure from the 1930s stands in a park laid out in the 19th century, creating a contrast between nature and engineering.
The elevator brings visitors to the viewing platform in less than a minute, and the tower is open from Wednesday through Sunday. The narrow steel framework is visible from among the park trees and easy to locate.
From the platform on clear days, visitors can see the Alps, the Apennines, and the plain at the same time. This rare perspective from within the city shows multiple mountain ranges in a single view.
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