Over six months after Expo 2015 Milano closed its gates and international participants lowered their flags, the Expo site partially reopened today to host a range of activities for the summer period. Residents and visitors alike are now able to access a 19-hectare area of the site for free, with the key attraction being the ‘City after the City’ exhibition series, which is part of the six-month XX1 Triennale di Milano design fair.

The area, which has been dubbed ‘Experience rESTATEaMilano’, includes the central part of the Expo site featuring the symbolic Tree of Life as well as the Palazzo Italia and the Lombardy pavilion. The zone is open between 3pm-11pm on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays between 27 May and 30 September.

The pavilions that housed the Future Supermarket and the Auditorium during the Expo are now hosting ‘City after the City’, one of over 20 thematic exhibitions being held in and around Milan as part of the XX1 Triennale. The project is composed of five exhibitions that explore the kinds of urban spaces that we will live in tomorrow, going beyond the established idea of a conventional city. The exhibition series, which has been directed by Pierluigi Nicolin, features multi-sensory displays and augmented reality to let visitors imagine the cities of the new millennium.

‘Landscape Urbanism’ curated by Gaia Piccarolo, looks at the complex interaction between nature and artificial design in urban planning, while ‘Urban Orchard’, curated by Maite Garcia Sanchis, is dedicated to the opportunities offered by urban architecture. Matteo Vercelloni’s ‘Expanded Housing’ exhibition conceptually explores the contribution of design to different ways of living, while the issue of migration is tackled by ‘People in Motion’, curated by Michele Nastasi. Finally, Nina Bassoli’s ‘Street Art’ exhibition offers an original take on this urban phenomenon where public and private conversations meet.

The theme of Expo 2015 Milan, ‘Feeding the Planet, Energy for Life’, is honoured by the ‘Orto Planetario’ planetary vegetable garden which acts as a parterre connecting the two pavilions. The 3,000 m2 garden features 150 species of fruit and vegetables from all over the world, and visitors are able to buy the produce on site, making it truly “zero-mile” food.

Visitors to the site can also enjoy performances in the Open Air Theatre, as well as the Tree of Life’s light and sound display. Street food festivals are set to be held offering a range of culinary options, and picnic areas area available for all to use. During the summer, giant screens will broadcast Euro 2016 matches as well as events at the Olympic Games, with extended opening hours for these occasions.

In the place of former country pavilions, new activity spaces have been installed. These include a basketball court in the place of the pavilion of Thailand as well as a football pitch where Austria’s wooded pavilion previously stood. Additionally, an artificial beach spanning 5,000m2 has been installed on the site of the pavilion of the Czech Republic.

For more information on the events and activities at Experience rESTATEaMilano, visit the website:experiencemilano.it (Italian)