Posts filed under 'Outdoor Activities'
Parco Solari is a small park in a very young and trendy area of Milan. The “Zona Tortona” used to be an industrial part of the city, but factories and warehouses have now been refurbished and converted into exhibition spaces where fashion and design shows take place. The park is small but it is relatively well kept and it is always full of families with children. There are 4 gated playground areas, broadly designed for different age groups. There are two aimed at toddlers, with swings and small climb-on sets. One of them also has a teddy-bear shaped xylophone and a rail with hanging metal tubes of different lengths for children to play and experience the difference sounds. The third playground has loads of swings for both toddlers and bigger kids, to reduce waiting times. The fourth playground is the favourite of older kids with a climbing set in the shape of a pirate ship. All these playgrounds have benches lining the surrounding fence so if your children require just minimal supervision you can sit and relax in the sun. There is no cafeteria in the park, but during peak hours (after 4 on weekdays and at weekends) there is often an ice-cream truck right in the middle of the park which sells boxed ice-cream and a few other refreshments. If this is not good enough for your hungry kids, don’t worry — the area around the park is well-known for its nice cafés (“Café Savona” in Via Montevideo and “Clivati” Patisserie in Via Coni Zugna) and ice-cream shops. “Garden Solari” in Via Montevideo sells lovely fresh-fruit ice-lollies, the strawberry one is delicious!
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Apr 01, 2009
Last Sunday we decided to face the afternoon heat (we are now in the 30s here) and head to the Giardini Pubblici to visit the new Butterfly Oasis next to the Natural History Museum. It’s a pavilion that hosts an exhibition of many species of butterflies, imported weekly from Africa, South America and Sout-East Asia. The 200 sqm area is divided in two sections. The first part explores the meaning of colours in nature, with loads of pictures and a few live animals. The second part is the true butterfly exhibit, where a tropical environment is recreated to showcase butterflies and cocoons in their habitual settings. The visitor can walk through plants and climbing orchids while butterflies fly all around him. The Butterfly Oasis is, at this stage, a temporary project open until the end of September but the administration says they will, by the end of the year, open a permanent butterfly house that will be four times bigger, making it the largest in Italy. We had a nice time, and although it is not as big and nice as the one in the London Zoo, I highly recommend it, especially if you or your kids have never seen a butterfly house!
Another positive effect: after standing in true tropical heat to look at the butterflies, even Milan weather is more bearable!
-Michela
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Jun 25, 2008
The 13th flower show of the Orticultural Association of Lombardy “Orticola” took place last weekend in Milan in the nice surroundings of Giardini Pubblici. It was obviously nice to look at all the flowers, plants and garden furniture on show, but what I thought was surprising was the effort made to make children feel welcomed! For the three days of the show, children (who enter free until they are 12) could attend all sorts of labs, where activities were designed to put them in touch with nature… and I believe city kids need all the contact they can get. (more…)
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May 14, 2008
My family spent last week in Pozza di Fassa, in the Dolomites region of northern Italy. I knew from the start that it was not going to be an intensive skiing holiday (my daughter is breastfed and my older son has become quite clingy since the birth of his sister). There was no way I could escape for a whole day for some much needed activity on the slopes… but I was hoping for a few hours of freedom here and there.
My plans were immediately offset when my mother-in-law broke her wrist on the first day. (She was supposed to help me entertain the kids and let me have some alone-time).
It was then that the ParkBimboNeve, a sort of ‘kinderheim’ (which I didn’t take into great account at the very beginning of the holiday), suddenly looked like the best invention after the pill and the washing machine–all of which work in favour of women liberation! (more…)
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Feb 24, 2008
Monday:
Take it easy on Monday morning, as so many things are closed! Go to a nice bar and have the typical Italian breakfast: cappuccino and cornetto (the italian croissant) and get a babyccino for your kids. To get the full experience you should have it quickly and while standing up, but that may not be ideal with children in tow.
Wherever you are you should not be too far from a stop of the 29/30 tram line: it’s a line that does a complete loop around Milan following the (now inexistent) Spanish walls. The trams in service on this line are very old, similar to San Francisco’s cable cars, and children love them! Wait until rush hour is over and board one, tickets are 1 euro and kids below 10 go free.
Get off in Corso Vercelli, one of the nicest shopping streets in Milan. Corso Vercelli, together with its continuation Via Belfiore and Via Marghera is probably one of the best places for shoes, kid’s shops and jewellery (together with everything else). Take a break and have a gelato at Grom, undoubtedly the best ice cream in the world! Reboard the tram and complete your tour. (more…)
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Feb 18, 2008
