Milan Expo 2015: What you need to know

On October 31, 2015, the Milan Expo 2015 concluded. The Expo saw 21 million visitors, exceeding the original goal of 20,000,000. The Expo site is still being reconstructed. Dismantling began November 2, and will continue until May 2016. This page will also continue to contain archived Expo information. This page will be updated if I have any new information about the Expo site, including the artwork that was placed.

UPDATES:

• The Tree of Life sculpture, will remain at the Expo site. It will be reopened in spring along with Palazzo Italia, Pavilion Zero and Pavilion Zero.

Seven years after Milan was selected to host 2015 Expo, the final product is set to be revealed: Milan Expo 2015. It opens on May 1.

Here are some quick links to the most important information in this article.

Milan Expo Theme & Story

Milan Expo Grounds

Special Events at the Expo in Milan

Milan Expo Ticket Information

Wait a second. Wait a second.

A World’s Fair is something you’ve likely heard of before. Perhaps you remember the Judy Garland movie, “Meet Me in St. Louis”, which was about the 1904 World’s Fair. You may recall the trivial fact that the Eiffel Tower in Paris was originally built in 1889 for the World’s Fair. It was torn down afterwards. The 1967 edition saw the name change to include “Exposition,” and it was shortened to “Expo” which is still what these events are called.

Expo events are designed to allow participating countries to showcase their latest developments, regardless of Expo theme. Expo events are usually held over several months and consist of a variety of exhibit spaces for each country.

Now, let’s get back to the story.

Milan Expo 2015

Expo Milano 2015 runs May 1-October 31. Its theme is “Feeding the Planet Energy for Life.” There are seven sub-themes that fall under this umbrella.

• Science for Food Safety, Security and Quality
• Innovation in the Agrofood Supply Chain
• Technology for Agriculture and Biodiversity
• Dietary Education
• Solidarity and Cooperation on Food
• Food for a Better Life
• Food in the World’s Cultures & Ethnic Groups

It is the first World’s Fair to feature “food” as a topic. More than 140 countries will be represented at the event. The organizers describe this as “a vital need: being capable of guaranteeing healthy, safe, sufficient and sustainable food for all while respecting the Planet’s equilibrium and balance.” “The idea,” organizers say, is to create dialogue among international players and exchange views on the major issues that impact all.

However, it doesn’t lack a playful element. I love Foody the mascot.

The Expo’s theme is food so the exhibition halls can be described as a huge restaurant or food court. Many countries will bring the best of their culinary culture, as well as scientific and environmental advancements in food cultivation. The United States pavilion will feature and a fleet food trucks, in addition to its higher-brow offerings. The photography exhibit by Ferdinando Scianna, a Sicilian photographer, will be displayed. It tells the story of Mediterranean culinary tradition. A “Children Park”, featuring games for children ages 4-10, will be on display. It follows the theme of “feeding the earth”. The Italian pavilion will showcase Grana Padano cheese, including a dairy that was built specifically for the event. Eurochocolate, one of Europe’s most important chocolate festivals, will also be on-site.

As an aside, each foodtuff has its section which they call “Clusters”, making the cocoa pavilion a Cocoa Cluster. It’s like a new sugary breakfast cereal. That is what I find delightful.

You may find it interesting to know that the special Expo WorldRecipes app is an “online cookbook”, compiled from participating countries.

Expo 2015 Exhibition Site

Milan already had a space outside of the city centre for trade fairs. But, a new exhibition space was constructed for Expo 2015 near the Rho. Although it isn’t in the historic centre, it’s easily accessible via public transport.

Expo grounds have pavilions representing many countries. Each pavilion has a unique design and there is a central structure that contains two main “streets” which intersect. They are the Decumano (references to ancient Roman roads) and Cardo (references to ancient Roman roads). Piazza Italia is the point at which these “roads” intersect. The northern end of the grounds has a circular lake called Lake Arena with a large “Tree of Life”, sculpture and fountain. (The tree will be lit every hour for five mins, with lights, music and water features. The southern end has an open-air theater that can hold performances for up 11,000 people. It is situated behind the seating area on a large, gently sloping lawn.

Milan hosted the last World’s Fair in 1906. The theme was Transportation. Only one of the purpose-built structures that were built for that event is still standing today: Parco Sempione’s Civic Aquarium. This park was the temporary home to more than 200 pavilions in that year. Some of the Expo 2015 exhibition structures will likely be integrated into existing trade fair grounds. Others (for instance, the open-air theatre) could be used for performances or events after Expo 2015.

Special Expo 2015 Events

There are many things to do in Milan, no matter what time you visit. But if you are visiting during the Expo you will find even more. Although this is not a complete list and there are likely more (it’s only six months), these are just a few special events that take place in Milan during Expo.

• Cirque du Soleil’s Allavita! Show – The internationally-known circus company has created a show just for the Expo. The show runs in the Expo’s outdoor theater from May 13 to August 30. These shows require both a ticket for the performance and an additional ticket to the Expo on the day. The prices for the Cirque du Soleil show are EUR25-35.
• La Scala Theater – Although La Scala is closed during the summer, it has packed its summer schedule with performances so that Expo-goers can take in a performance at the famed opera house.
• Leonardo1452-1519 A special exhibition of da Vinci’s work will be held at Palazzo Reale next to the Duomo from April 16 through July 19. It will be a focus on his work while he lived in Milan in the late 1500s.
• Leonardo da Vinci Codex Atlanticus Exhibition – The Codex Atlanticus is a collection of twelve volumes of da Vinci’s sketches, notes and sketches. It is usually on display at two locations in Milan – Bramante Sacristy and the Biblioteca Ambrosiana. Large parts of the Codex Atlanticus will be on display until October 31.
• Leonardo3 museum – A temporary interactive museum was set up in Piazza della Scala. It displays working models of some of da Vinci’s machines as well as 3D renderings some of his artwork. The museum will remain open until October 31.
• Leonardo da Vinci’s Vineyard – In payment for his painting of “The Last Supper”, da Vinci received a property in Milan on which he grew grapes. Since the 1950s, the vineyard was a garden behind Casa degli Atellani. However, researchers recently discovered that the vines were still alive . The vineyard was restored to its original appearance in the era of Leonardo da Vinci. It will be open to the public for first time on May 1.
• Exhibit The Triennale Design Museum will host a special exhibit based on “The Body Snatchers” that will explore the evolution of kitchen appliances into electrical “robots.” It runs from April 9th, 2015 to February 21st, 2016.
• Exhibit – Another exhibit at Triennale is Arts & Foods. This exhibit, which was formerly known as the Expo’s “Arts & Foods pavilion”, traces the relationship between art and food. It is located both indoors (and outdoors) at the Triennale Design Museum, instead of on the Expo grounds. As the first World Expo, 1851 is important. It is open from April 9 to November 1, 2015.
• “Food from the Spoon to The Mouth” Exhibit Special Expo-related events don’t just take place in Milan. MAXXI, Rome’s museum for 21st-century art, will host an exhibition entitled “Food” during the Expo. This exhibit focuses on art and architecture that relates to how food is stored, distributed, consumed, and disposed of.
• This 12-acre wheat field in the Porta Nuova area in the north of the city was planted in March. It will be harvested in October. This piece was created by Agnes Denes (American artist) and is part MiArt, an annual contemporary and modern art fair in Milan.

The organizers expect 20 million people to visit Milan Expo. A third of these visitors are non-Italians. Many of them will also be likely to spend some time in other parts. This means that Expo 2015 will be more popular than normal, which could impact your ability to visit major attractions. Lines for museums and hotels may get longer.

Guided Tours of Milan

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  Context Travel Walking Tours to Milan

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  Viator Tours to Milan

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  Walks of Italy Tours

Are you looking for suggestions on where to eat and what to drink in Milan while you are there? Katie Parla, my friend has great suggestions . The Sauce Milan website is exclusively dedicated to eating and drinking in Milan.

Expo Milano 2015 Tickets

The Expo offers a variety of ticket options. Prices go up if they are purchased after May 1, when the Expo opens. Open-date tickets are available. This means you can go anytime you like. If you are certain you will be in Milan during Expo, and want to see it all, it is a good idea to purchase your ticket prior to the event starts and then use it when you arrive. Don’t worry if you don’t have any plans. The price difference isn’t likely to cause you to change your mind.

Keep in mind that you must select a date for your open-date ticket. Although the grounds are vast, there is a limit to how many people can use them. You will register online for your Expo ticket. To choose a date later, log into your Expo profile to add a date to the already-purchased ticket. Although this is not a requirement, if your ticket is already sold out you might be turned away.

Here are some prices for Expo 2015.

• Season Pass: EUR115 adult, EUR89 senior/student and EUR57 child
• 1-Day Ticket: EUR39/EUR34 Adult, EUR28/EUR24 Senior, EUR33/EUR29 Student, EUR16 Child
• 2-Day Access – EUR72 Adult (14+ Years), EUR51 Senior, EUR30 Child
• 3-Day Access – EUR105 Adult (14+ Years), EUR76 Senior, EUR45 Child
• 1-Day Family Pack – EUR49.50/EUR43 One adult + 1 child, EUR84.50/EUR73 Two adults + 1 child, EUR64/EUR56 One adult + 2 children, EUR64/EUR56 One adult + 2 children, EUR64/EUR56 One adult + 2 children, EUR64/EUR56 One Adult + 2 children, EUR99/EUR86 Two adults + 2 children (EUR10 for each additional child),
• Evening Ticket– EUR5 additional price for any day ticket

It is more difficult than I can list here to show the breakdown of ticket prices. There are many more options than I have listed. A two-day pass for two days is less expensive than a two-day pass. However, there are some things you need to know when looking at my list.

• If two prices are given, for example EUR39/EUR34 adult (for an open-date ticket), the first price will be for a ticket with no fixed date, and the second for a ticket with definite dates.
• The ages of students are between 14 and 25.
• Children are between the ages 4-13.

For a complete – and therefore very long – listing of all ticket prices, please see the official price list.

Tickets can be purchased on the official website and in Milan at Expo Gate, Piazza Cairoli.

Milan Expo 2015. All images