Milan, May 7, 2025 – Over 730 trees planted in the "Giardini Pubblici Indro Montanelli" gardens and in the Parco Forlanini (Forlanini Park), thanks to the generosity of Msc Foundation and Webuild, who participated as donators in the ‘Milano per gli Alberi’ funding, the participatory coral initiative started by the Municipality of Milan to reestablish the green areas after the storm that hit the city in the Summer of 2023 with wind storms that reached even 100 km/h, which caused over 4 thousand trees to fall. 

Works to re-plant the trees in these two important Milanese parks were completed a few weeks back: this is why the Administration wished to publicly thank the two donators in an event held today at Palazzo Marino, where the two projects that replanted the trees were presented. Attending, besides the representatives of the Municipality of Milan, also Pierfrancesco Vago, the executive top manager of the Divisione Crociere of MSC Group and Chairman of the Executive Committee of MSC Foundation, and Webuild CEO Pietro Salini. 

In particular, thanks to the donation of Msc Foundation, in the "Giardini Pubblici Indro Montanelli" – one of the parks most hit by the storm with 187 trees lost, the damage of 4 monumental trees – 220 new trees were planted there.  The trees that were newly planted included ashes, camphor trees, magnolias, oaks, maple trees, horse chestnuts; and yet again: strobe pine, joys, ginkgo biloba, just to name a few.   Webuild's donation allowed to replant 510 trees to replace the over 300 plants lost during the storm in Parco Forlanini. Among the newly planted trees are poplars, lindens, hackberries, willows, oaks, cedars, maple trees and sycamores. 

The trees that have been planted were chosen because they are resilient to high temperatures, drought and urban pollution and to pathogens and parasites: in some cases, some were merely replaced, and in some other cases specific interventions were carried out to limit damage and stress connected to higher temperatures and urban pollution.

"The images of the trees that fell due to the violent storm that hit Milan on July 2023, is a memory that still is strongly present in each one of us – commented Milan Mayor Giuseppe Sala –. Milan set to work immediately to secure parks, also starting the 'Milano per gli alberi' funding. I wish to thank MSC Foundation and Webuild for adhering to this initiative. Through their donations, the open cut created by the storm of 2023 to the greenery of the two parks, a symbol of our city, like Giardini Montanelli and Parco Forlanini is now healed".

"Contributing to properly managing the city's green areas, in particular these two parks, to which Milanese people feel very close, is not a mere act of generosity, but strongly signals a shared responsibility, civil ethics and a sense of belonging to the city. I would like to therefore, again show my gratitude to Msc Foundation and Webuild who chose to be close to the Municipality of Milan and, also to all citizens, by participating in the 'Milano per gli Alberi': their commitment is a virtuous example of active citizenship, capable of generating value for the entire community, and a sharing of the common good", added Green Assessor Elena Grandi (Verdi).

"We are proud to contribute to making Milan an evermore sustainable city, with initiatives that support the Municipality and citizens, just like 'Milano per gli alberi' initiative", said Webuild CEO Pietro Salini. “Thanks to this collaboration over 500 new trees were planted in Parco Forlanini, contributing to preserving Milan's green heritage. The project is part of a larger commitment that we have for the city. Webuild, during the years, built all of the five metro lines in Milan, from the Red Line in 1964 to the Blue Line in 2024: infrastructure projects that changed the city's landscape joining the city centre to the suburbs".

Pierfrancesco Vago, the Executive Chairman of ‘Divisione Crociere’ of MSC Group and Chairman of the Executive Committee of MSC Foundation, said: "We are proud of having contributed to replanting 220 new trees in Giardini Montanelli, the green heart and symbol of this city. The initiative stands as the essence of MSC Foundation, the philanthropic heart centre of the Group, committed in environmental conservation projects and in supporting communities, just as the 27 initiatives supported in Italy since 2019 clearly demonstrate. Regenerating public greenery is not just planting trees. It means ensuring health, climatic resilience, beauty and the sense of belonging, consolidating the collective identity of the community. Thanks to the partnership with the Municipality of Milan, we think that we have contributed to handing back a green area to the city, but also a part of the spirit that is part of it.”