VME is upgrading and expanding the Villa Litta Park in the Affori district of Milan. Work on the project began in October 2020 and is due to end by the summer of 2021 with the official opening of the Municipal park. The new green area in Via Moneta extends for about 16,000 square metres. The park at Villa Litta was created in 1687 by the Marquis Corbella, and is currently owned by the Municipality of Milan; with the extra land, it will now cover a total area of about 100,000 square metres.
The park started life as an Italian garden, but in the nineteenth century a botanist called Ercole Silva redesigned it in the English style. The current project by VME to upgrade and expand the Villa Litta park makes use of some of the existing aspects, such as the undulating land and certain forms of tree planting. VME has, in fact, planted plane trees, rhododendrons, magnolias, maples, and other varieties that were already growing in the park. The street furniture in the new area of the park in Via Moneta consists of two rows of wooden benches along the whole length of the footpath, which is made of concrete to allow the rainwater to drain off. The new layout also includes two fitness areas with anti-trauma flooring.
The VME project also involves the restoration of a small votive shrine, commonly known as the Cappella degli Appestati. This chapel was already in use in 1629, when the city of Milan was hit by plague. To maintain the historical character of the area, the brick wall that marked the edge of the historic park has been kept partially intact.
VME, a company in the FERVO group that specialises in green design and maintenance,has collaborated with Paesaggi Umbri Srl for this project.