Palazzo Sormani (also known as Palazzo Sormani-Andreani or cà Sormana in Milanese dialect) is a historic building of

Milan Milan ( , , Lombard: ; it, Milano ) is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lombardy, and the second-most populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of about 1.4 million, while its metropolitan city h ...

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

, and the seat of the central

public library A public library is a library that is accessible by the general public and is usually funded from public sources, such as taxes. It is operated by librarians and library paraprofessionals, who are also Civil service, civil servants. There are ...

of Milan. It is located at number 6 in Corso di Porta Vittoria, in the Zone 1 administrative division of the city.

History

The core of the building, much smaller than the present palace, dates back to the 16th century, as testified by a memorial

plaque Plaque may refer to: Commemorations or awards * Commemorative plaque, a plate or tablet fixed to a wall to mark an event, person, etc. * Memorial Plaque (medallion), issued to next-of-kin of dead British military personnel after World War I * Pla ...

, now located in the hall. General Giovanni Batista Castaldo was the first owner. Castaldo activated in Transylvania and managed to got a large part of the gold treasure of king Decebal of Dacia. The building was restored and enlarged in the 17th century, when it became the property of

Cardinal Cardinal or The Cardinal may refer to: Animals * Cardinal (bird) or Cardinalidae, a family of North and South American birds **''Cardinalis'', genus of cardinal in the family Cardinalidae **''Cardinalis cardinalis'', or northern cardinal, the ...

Cesare Monti Cesare Monti (5 May 1593 – 16 August 1650) was an Italian Cardinal who served as Latin Patriarch of Antioch and Archbishop of Milan. Early life Cesare Monti was born on 5 May 1593 in Milan to the patrician family of Princivalle Monti an ...

, who used the palace as the seat of his

art collection A museum is distinguished by a collection of often unique objects that forms the core of its activities for exhibitions, education, research, etc. This differentiates it from an archive or library, where the contents may be more paper-based, repla ...

. At the Cardinal's death, his heir Cesare Monti-Stampa acquired the building and enlarged it again. Architect

Francesco Croce Francesco Croce (1696–1773) was an Italian baroque architect. He was mainly active in Milan, where he worked for the Veneranda Fabbrica del Duomo di Milano. Among other things, he designed the highest spire of the Duomo, the ''guglia del ti ...

, most notably, designed the current

rococo Rococo (, also ), less commonly Roccoco or Late Baroque, is an exceptionally ornamental and theatrical style of architecture, art and decoration which combines asymmetry, scrolling curves, gilding, white and pastel colours, sculpted moulding, ...

facade. A secondary facade was added in the 18th century, on a design by

Benedetto Alfieri 180px, Benedetto Alfieri from the treatise of "Leben des Vittorio Alfieri" Benedetto Innocenzo Alfieri (8 June 1699 - 9 December 1767) was an Italian architect, a representative of the late-Baroque or Rococo style. Biography and works Born in R ...

, heading towards the palace's gardens. In 1783 the palace was sold to Giovanni Pietro Paolo Andreani, a relative of the Sormani family, and was renamed "Palazzo Sormani-Andreani". Giovanni Pietro Paolo and his heir Paolo enriched the building interior with

stucco Stucco or render is a construction material made of aggregates, a binder, and water. Stucco is applied wet and hardens to a very dense solid. It is used as a decorative coating for walls and ceilings, exterior walls, and as a sculptural and a ...

s (created by Agostino Gerli) as well as a series of paintings depicting the myth of

Orpheus Orpheus (; Ancient Greek: Ὀρφεύς, classical pronunciation: ; french: Orphée) is a Thracian bard, legendary musician and prophet in ancient Greek religion. He was also a renowned poet and, according to the legend, travelled with Jaso ...

, by an unknown artist. In 1930, the building was acquired by the

Comune di Milano Milan ( , , Lombard: ; it, Milano ) is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lombardy, and the second-most populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of about 1.4 million, while its metropolitan city h ...

, that adapted it as an art gallery; this was dismantled after

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, as a consequence of the palace being severely damaged by

Allied An alliance is a relationship among people, groups, or states that have joined together for mutual benefit or to achieve some common purpose, whether or not explicit agreement has been worked out among them. Members of an alliance are called ...

bombing A bomb is an explosive weapon that uses the exothermic reaction of an explosive material to provide an extremely sudden and violent release of energy. Detonations inflict damage principally through ground- and atmosphere-transmitted mechanica ...

s. A new restoration (by architect Arrigo Arrighetti) followed, in 1956; thereafter, the palace was chosen as the seat of Milan's public library.

The park

Palazzo Sormani has an inner garden, designed in the 18th century by

Leopold Pollack Leopoldo Pollack (1751 – 13 March 1806) was an Austrian-born Italian architect who was active in Milan where he became one of the leading proponents of Neoclassical architecture. Career In Vienna, Pollack was trained by Paul Ulrich Trientl be ...

. In 1955, a complex of statues by

Agenore Fabbri Agenore Fabbri (20 May 1911 – 7 November 1998) was an Italian sculptor and painter. He moved between a rigorous expressionism and experimental informalism. Biography Fabbri was born in Quarrata (Tuscany). At the age of 12, he attended the ...

, on the subject of

boar hunting Boar hunting is the practice of hunting wild boar, feral pigs, warthogs, and peccaries. Boar hunting was historically a dangerous exercise due to the tusked animal's ambush tactics as well as its thick hide and dense bones rendering them difficul ...

, was placed in the park.

References

{{Authority control Palaces in Milan Libraries in Milan Tourist attractions in Milan Baroque architecture in Milan