Milan is the city that anticipates Italy’s social and cultural changes. Just look how its skyline has changed over time: today it expresses a profile that ranges from the futuristic towers of the new Citylife district to the vast Arcimboldi theatre, and from the Gae Aulenti business centre to the Triennale, passing the historical icons of the Duomo, the Teatro alla Scala, and the Castello Sforzesco. This urban fabric is dotted with extraordinary industrial archaeology conversions, including the Hangar Bicocca and the Fabbrica del Vapore, and many other former factories converted into vibrant cultural centres.
The Istituto Europeo di Design was founded in Milan in 1966, and over the years expanded across the city, always running an active dialogue with its protagonists. Today it has various campuses spread across the South-East area, with 3 training centres – Sciesa / Bezzecca, Piranesi, Pompeo Leoni – all easily accessible from both Linate Airport and the Central Station. Classrooms, laboratories and photographic studios are located a step away from the Fashion District, while Fondazione Prada stands nearby, in the constantly expanding area of Scalo Romana. The same South-East area will play host to our future international campus, redeveloping the former slaughterhouse complex, with its lively touches of Art Nouveau.
Studying in Milan means moving around a changing city and changing with it. This makes it a setting offering infinite stimuli: almost every innovation develops here, where most of the creative agencies and start-ups are concentrated, alongside entrepreneurial realities famed the world over.
As the cradle of Italian design, it is easy to imagine the industriousness of its founding fathers – Franco Albini, Achille Castiglioni, Vico Magistretti, Ettore Sottsass to name a few – as well as the work of entrepreneurs whose iconic brands have written the history of Italian Quality Exports. Studying in Milan also means you have the opportunity to absorb its creative and productive energy, fundamental to the city’s DNA since ancient times.