Pure Milano, an app that maps thousands of architectures, buildings and historical monuments in Milan

Pure Milano was born in 2017 as an Instagram profile (@pure_milan_photo with over 8k followers) curated and populated by the beautiful photographs made by Sosthen Hennekam, Dutch designer and photographer who moved to Milan seven years ago. Today Pure Milano has become an app for iOS and Android, bringing together a thousand pieces of Milanese architecture and six thousand historic buildings and monuments, meticulously archived and mapped through iconographic research, references and archive publications. 


Via Carducci, Milano © Sosthen Hennekam

The Pure Milano app is intended as a guide for enthusiasts and professionals, students, curious people and tourists looking for unconventional itineraries to discover Milan and its architectural beauty. Differently from the Instagram account, through the app it is possible to view the images in full screen, zoom in and appreciate the details. Using the search function it is also possible to search for images by macro-category, geolocation, construction details and designer. In the future it will also be possible to navigate through specific thematic itineraries. 




Via Vallazze, Milano © Sosthen Hennekam

Over time, the mapping will be integrated with Hennekam's original photographs, always strictly in black and white, to focus attention on shapes and proportions. Pure Milano can be downloaded free of charge to view 100 buildings. It is then possible to upgrade to the PRO version on payment to access the complete database. 


Villa Shapira, Milano © Sosthen Hennekam