The Mushroom Skyscraper of Milan

The Torre Velasca is famous for its bizarre mushroom shape, which widens significantly near the top. This design was actually inspired by traditional medieval watchtowers found throughout Italy.

Completed in 1958, this brutalist giant was built to house shops and offices in the base with residential apartments above. Architects intentionally designed the wider top section to shade the lower floors while mimicking the defensive structures of the Middle Ages. Its unconventional silhouette initially sparked massive public controversy in Milan. Today, it stands as a celebrated, if polarizing, icon of post-war Italian design.