Established in 1888, and designed by Emilio Alemagna, it has an overall area of 38.6 hectares (95 acres), and it is located inside the Zone 1 administrative division.

The vaguely polygonal park is anchored to the southeast by grounds of the Sforza Castle and a linear axis leads in the northwest to the Arch of Peace.

[1] During the Napoleonic era the architect Giovanni Antonio Antolini proposed the construction of the Foro Buonaparte or Bonaparte Forum, a large building complex around the castle.

After the unification of Italy, the military use of the area ceased,[3] and the city began to experience a demographic increase that required the construction of new neighbourhoods.

[4] This plan, which initially included a partial incorporation of proposed building on the area, was modified several times and allocated the entire parade ground to a public garden.