Set within charismatic late 19th and early 20th century buildings, the boutiques and shops of Corso Buenos Aires comprise one of Milan’s most appealing shopping destinations. It stretches one kilometre from Porta Venezia to Piazzale Loreto and connects Milan’s city centre with the industrial district which lies to its north-east.
The Neoclassical and Art Nouveau buildings which line Corso Buenos Aires house the highest concentration of clothing stores in Europe, with more than 350 big name fashion brands found here. Rather than the high fashion and haute couture for which Via Montenapoleone to the south-west is renowned, Corso Buenos Aires offers more affordable, ready-to-wear clothing which attracts a broader market and makes it one of Milan’s busiest streets. At Christmas time, Corso Buenos Aires is also a popular place to shop for decorations, and its pavements overflow during the post-Christmas and mid-summer sales with bargain-hunting shoppers. In addition to its prominent chain store shopfronts, there are also a few interior courtyards tucked behind where visitors can find one-of-a-kind boutiques for which Corso Buenos Aires was once famed.
Corso Buenos Aires is easily accessed along Line 1 of the Milan subway, with stops at Porta Venezia, Piazza Lima and Piazzale Loreto which all directly access the street. Alternatively, the Palestro metro station connects to the walking trails of Indro Montanelli Garden and the Milan Natural History Museum, from where it’s just a short walk to Corso Buenos Aires.
Corso Buenos Aires lies along what was once the “Stradone di Loreto” which connected Milan to the city of Monza which lies 15 kilometres to the north-east. In the early 19th century it took on the name “Corso Loreto”, named for the Church of Santa Maria di Loreto which once stood along its route, and began developing as a residential and commercial area with traditional Milanese stores.