Pirelli Hangar Bicocca is the perfect example of Milan’s famous adaptive re-use projects.

This huge exhibition site is located in the hangars that were once the home of the notable Ansaldo Breda, a company that produced railway and mass transit vehicles, later bought by famous Milanese tyre manufacturer Pirelli. Back in the day, the Bicocca neighborhood was a vast industrial area close to Milan’s city limits, but since the Bicocca University was established in the late 1990s the area has been subjected to other major requalification plans.

Hangar Bicocca is one of the landmarks, if not the main attraction of the area. It is a dynamic exhibition site that covers a surface of about 15,000 square meters. The entrance to the exhibition area is free and the famous Seven Heavenly Palaces by German artist Anselm Kiefer (see picture) will do the honors as part of the permanent collection. Given the huge space, Hangar Bicocca adapts very well to performance art and interactive art installations especially. Even with the temporary exhibitions, Hangar Bicocca hardly ever disappoints!

All in all, Hangar Bicocca is the perfect exhibition site to spend a couple of hours if you wanna try to see the world from a different perspective. Thanks to the super colorful education games and activities you can get involved with, it’s also the perfect location to introduce your kids to art.