ADI Design Museum, visit to the new permanent collection

Discovering the Milan of Design in the ADI Design Museum

TheADI Design Museum represents one of the latest additions to the Milanese museum scene, but it has already established itself as one of the main hubs in the Italian capital of design. Just a short walk from the Monumental Cemetery, a true open-air museum, and the Paolo Sarpi district, known as Milan’s Chinatown, since May 2021 it has been possible to visit an impressive collection of all the greatest icons of Italian design, displayed inside a building dating back to the 1930s and long used as a streetcar depot, now masterfully restored.

The new museum of Italian design

TheADI Design Museum ‘s permanent exhibition “The Spoon and the City” has been recognized by the Ministry of Culture as an asset of exceptional artistic and historical interest and is composed of more than 2,500 projects, including all the Compasso d’Oro winners from its origins to the present day. Born in 1954 from an idea of the world-famous architect Gio Ponti, the Compasso d’Oro is the oldest and most prestigious design award, and every two years it is awarded by a jury of experts to design objects deemed to be of absolute excellence: the Fiat 500 in 1959, the symbol of the Lombardy Region in 1979, Fondazione Prada in 2018, and the Brand Identity of the Uffizi Galleries in 2020 are just a few examples. By following our licensed guides , you can retrace the history of the Compasso d’Oro to learn about the amazing vicissitudes of Italian and international design icons not only by admiring the award-winning objects, but also their prototypes, projects, preparatory drawings, and everything that led to their final form. Despite being among the “youngest” exhibition hubs on the Milanese scene, theADI Design Museum is already establishing itself as a major cultural center thanks not only to its exceptional permanent holdings but also to the frequent in-depth temporary exhibitions and events dedicated to the public curated by the institution. The must stop to end the tour? Definitely the one atOfficina Design Café, the food court inside the museum run by culinary professionals who are also attentive to the aspect of sustainability and responsible consumption.