What is now called the Vicolo S.Maria alla Porta is actually an urban space that looks more like a small square, This difference between name and space is due to the fact that the alley existed before the bombing of July 1943 which forever marked the shape of Milan.

The alley was bordered by a building demolished by the explosions, to conflict ended the building overlooking the homonymous street S.Maria alla Porta was rebuilt leaving a considerable space in front, the space that was left without function and abandoned to itself was forgotten by the city until 2014 date when the client and the Municipality decided to proceed with its redevelopment.

The project was very attentive to the history of the place, highlighting and telling its painful past. The green basins in emergence delineate the ancient courtyards of the collapsed building, the tracks are simple signs made up of the typical stones that characterize the streets of the historic center of Milan.

The main route of the new alley leads to what remains of the votive chapel also compromised by the bombing. During the construction site, the original polychrome marble floor dating back to 1700 was discovered, an exceptional discovery that led to the establishment of a “protective sarcophagus” in osmotic concrete, temporary, consists of specially made elements that simplify and reproduce the geometry of the original floor allowing its reading.