The legacy of Milano Cortina 2026: Wellness Foundation presents the first Milan Wellness City report

To make Milan the world’s first Wellness City, transforming health and wellbeing into drivers of urban development. This is the mission of Milano Wellness City 2030, the project launched by the Wellness Foundation to make a tangible contribution to the Olympic legacy—the cultural heritage of the Milan Cortina 2026 Winter Games, for which Technogym will be a partner for the tenth time. After two years of behind-the-scenes work, the project is now a concrete reality.

On January 14, at the Palazzina Appiani – Arena Civica in Milan, the event ‘Milano Wellness City 2030 – The projects, initiatives and first results… towards the Milan Cortina 2026 Games’ was held, during which the first ‘Milano Wellness City’ report was presented.

The document provides an up-to-date snapshot of population, economy, health and lifestyle, mental wellbeing, territory, and infrastructure; it outlines the main public policies that promote wellness through an integrated approach, and, above all, it gathers the actions carried out within Milano Wellness City and the initial results achieved. It aims to offer a coherent narrative of the many ongoing initiatives, all connected by a single common thread that can sometimes go unnoticed: improving people’s lives.

Here’s a preview of the data on the state of health and quality of life in Milan:

Longevity: Milan confirms its leading position. Life expectancy stands at 82.7 years for men and 86.7 years for women, higher than both the Lombardy regional averages (82.2 and 86.1) and the national figures (81.4 and 85.5). However, the gap between life expectancy and healthy life expectancy is not encouraging (in Lombardy: 21.9 years for men; 28.3 years for women).

Chronic Diseases: The absolute figure is worrying: 687,037 chronic diseases. This number is expected to rise with an aging population, increasing the costs for the healthcare system. Today, 70–80% of healthcare spending goes toward treating non-communicable chronic diseases (NCDs), while only a tiny portion is allocated to prevention.

Mental Health: a growing burden for health and social systems. In Milan, among the most vulnerable groups, one in three elderly people lives alone, and only half of young people report an adequate level of psychological wellbeing.

Physical Inactivity: one in four people in Lombardy is physically inactive. Among the youngest, in Milan fewer than one in ten children or adolescents engage in sufficient physical activity.

Obesity and Overweight: in Lombardy, 11% of people are obese and 33% are overweight. Among children, one in five is above a healthy weight.

Organized by the Wellness Foundation and Technogym, in collaboration with Corriere della Sera and under the patronage of the Municipality of Milan and Fondazione Milano Cortina 2026, the event brought together project stakeholders and the many actors contributing to the creation of an urban wellness ecosystem.

The meeting opened with an editorial by Daniele Manca, Deputy Editor of Corriere della Sera, followed by the presentation of the Milano Wellness City 2030 report, and then three thematic working sessions focused on health, lifestyle, and the Olympic legacy.

The event concluded with Nerio Alessandri, Founder and President of the Wellness Foundation and creator of the project, who highlighted the immediate support from a distinguished multidisciplinary working group: Fondazione Cariplo, Fondazione Milano Cortina 2026, Bocconi University, Politecnico di Milano and its Foundation, Humanitas University, San Raffaele Hospital, Fondazione Umberto Veronesi ETS, Fondazione Human Technopole, Federalberghi and Assolombarda, as well as Inter, AC Milan, and Olimpia Milano.