‘Milan for Trees’ completes tree planting to restore the city’s green lungs

Hundreds of new trees planted with MSC Foundation’s support to overcome the devastating destruction of Milan’s 2023 storm, simultaneously building biodiversity and resilience to climate change

Focus Area: Emergency relief

A powerful storm struck Milan on 25 July 2023, with gusts of more than 100 km per hour that devastated its historic parks, bringing down over 4,000 trees across the city.

Now Milan has struck back, planting more than 730 new trees under the City Council’s ‘Milan for Trees’ initiative, supported by the efforts of over 600 citizens and dozens of businesses and organisations, including the MSC Foundation.

The Indro Montanelli Gardens are a jewel in the crown of Milan’s green heritage, dating from the 18^th century and renamed after the much-loved journalist who died in 2001. One of the most violently hit sites in the storm, the gardens suffered the loss of 187 trees and severe damage to four magnificent, historic specimens.

In the aftermath, the MSC Foundation responded swiftly to the City Council’s call for help, providing targeted funding for the restoration of this beautiful historic park – a connection made possible thanks to Enrico Colombo. Unstinting support enabled the planting of 220 new trees, expertly chosen to provide a diverse mix of resilient species, ranging from ash, camphor, magnolia and oak, to maple, horse chestnut, Eastern white pine, honey locust and ginkgo biloba. As a result, ‘Milan for Trees’ has not only restored the landscape but also strengthened the park’s ecological resilience to future climate shocks from global heating.

The completion of the tree planting was marked by a special event held in the city’s Palazzo Marino on 7 May 2025, during which representatives of the City Council formally thanked the MSC Foundation and WeBuild. The event featured presentations of the related planting projects in the Indro Montanelli Gardens and Forlanini Park, with insightful and inspiring observations by Pierfrancesco Vago, Executive Chairman of MSC Cruises and Chairman of the MSC Foundation Executive Committee, and Pietro Salini, CEO of WeBuild.

The Mayor of Milan, Giuseppe Sala, spoke for the entire city in saying “The images of the trees felled by the violent storm that struck the city in July 2023 are still a vivid memory for all of us. So I thank the MSC Foundation and WeBuild for promptly joining the ‘Milan for Trees’ initiative we launched immediately afterwards, while taking swift action to make our parks safe again. Thanks to their donations, the wounds inflicted by the 2023 winds and flooding on two iconic parks of our city can finally be considered healed.”

Elena Grandi, Councillor for Green Spaces, added: “Contributing to the care of the city's green spaces – especially these two parks which have always held such a special place in the hearts of Milan’s citizens – is not only an act of generosity, but also a strong expression of shared responsibility, public spirit and love for our city. I join in again thanking the MSC Foundation and WeBuild for standing by Milan and its citizens in supporting the ‘Milan for the Trees’ fund. Their commitment is a shining example of active citizenship which creates value for the entire community and fosters the sharing of the common good.”

Pierfrancesco Vago, Executive Chairman of the MSC Group Cruise Division and Chairman of the MSC Foundation Executive Committee spoke passionately about what drove our support: “We are proud to have contributed to planting 220 new trees in the Montanelli Gardens, the iconic green heart of this city. The initiative is very much in the spirit of the MSC Foundation, the philanthropic heart of our Group, which is committed to environmental conservation projects and community support, as demonstrated by the 27 initiatives we have supported in Italy since 2019. Regenerating public green spaces is about more than planting trees. It promotes health, climate resilience, beauty and a sense of belonging, strengthening collective identity and community spirit. With thanks to Enrico Colombo for championing our engagement with the Milan City Council, we believe we have helped not only revitalise a green space dear to the city but a part of its soul as well.”

It was therefore a great honour for the MSC Foundation to contribute to Milan’s green renewal as part of our ongoing commitment of care for the environment and green public spaces. We are proud and grateful that our partnership with ‘Milan for Trees” has restored the beauty of a cherished city park, enhanced Milan’s biodiversity and strengthened its ability to face the evolving challenges of climate change.

It was in our DNA to respond in this emergency, and in a way that benefits the community's cherished green environment. Every new tree is a step towards a brighter future!