14-Year Timelapse Captures Milan's CityLife Transformation

Photographer Alberto Fanelli has created a timelapse video documenting the 14-year construction of CityLife, the largest urban redevelopment project in Europe, located in Milan's Portello district. The complex, designed by architects Arata Isozaki, Daniel Libeskind, and Zaha Hadid, features three iconic towers and is built on the former Fiera Milano exhibition grounds, which were relocated to Rho-Pero. CityLife includes design residences, Milan's second-largest green space, the city's largest pedestrian area, and the ArtLine contemporary art installation project. The final skyscraper, City Wave, is still under construction. Fanelli, a specialist in long-term timelapse and stereoscopy, captured the towers' rise over years. The video's music is inspired by Paul Dukas's 'The Sorcerer's Apprentice' from Disney's 1940 film 'Fantasia,' humorously emphasizing human works as small elements within nature's power, with seasonal changes and tree growth marking each passing year.