La Goccia
Once an industrial area developed between the late 19th and early 20th centuries, then decommissioned and abandoned since the 1980s, today La Goccia is at the heart of regeneration projects that interweave industrial memory, the environment and the urban future.
1905The foundation of the Officine del Gas
With the growing demand for energy, the Union des Gaz began the construction of the Grandi Officine del Gas (Grand Gasworks) on a 30-hectare site north of the historic Cascina Bovisa area, dedicated to energy production through coal gasification.Dipinto di Giovanni Segantini – La raccolta dei bozzoli, 1881-1883
1960—1970The decommissioning of the historic plants
With the gradual introduction of methane in everyday life, activity at the Officine begins to decline. In the early 1970s, under the management of Montedison, several large coal processing facilities located in the central part of the site were demolished.©Fondo fotografico zona 9, Archivio Regione Lombardia. Officine del Gas e del quartiere Bovisa
1981From private to public property
In 1981, the gas distribution became a public service of the city and the Municipal Energy Company (AEM) became the owner of the Officine.
1994The closure of the plant
On the 11th of July 1994, the facilities were permanently shut down. The site is recognised as a Site of National Interest (SIN) due to high concentrations of soil contaminants.©Google Maps, Ortofoto 1998
1994—2012The rise of a spontaneous forest
A spontaneous forest began to grow on the site, initiating a natural soil remediation process. Over the years, the area becomes known as the Goccia Forest, and a Committee is formed to advocate for its preservation.©Marco Merati
2022—2024A pact for the future of La Goccia
A collaboration pact is signed with the Osservatorio La Goccia, aiming to test new methods of natural remediation and define sustainable forms of public use. In the same year, the masterplan designed by Renzo Piano and his firm RPBW was approved, promoted by the Politecnico di Milano for the expansion of its university campus in the southern part of La Goccia area.©Asja Castelli, Scritta lungo via Pacuvio che testimonia la pesenza di un bosco aldilà del muro di recinzione, 2020
2024The beginning of the GOCCIA Project
The GOCCIA project took off. A European project funded by the European Urban Initiative (EUI), aimed at implementing and consolidating an innovative model of bioremediation and the gradual opening of the spontaneous forest across 18 hectares of municipally owned land.