Villas and palaces in

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 ...

are used to indicate public and private buildings in Milan of particular artistic and architectural value. Milan has always been an important centre with regard to the construction of historical villas and palaces, ranging from the Romanesque to the neo-Gothic, from

Baroque The Baroque (, ; ) is a style of architecture, music, dance, painting, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished in Europe from the early 17th century until the 1750s. In the territories of the Spanish and Portuguese empires including t ...

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, ...

History

The spread of the construction of patrician villas in Milan has early origins. Archaeological excavations have revealed a complex system of villas from the first imperial age, going back to about the 1st century BCE. After the fall of the

Barbarian A barbarian (or savage) is someone who is perceived to be either Civilization, uncivilized or primitive. The designation is usually applied as a generalization based on a popular stereotype; barbarians can be members of any nation judged by som ...

s and the end of the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire a ...

, a new tradition of aristocratic refinement, chivalry and good taste was established in Milan by the ruling

Visconti Visconti is a surname which may refer to: Italian noble families * Visconti of Milan, ruled Milan from 1277 to 1447 ** Visconti di Modrone, collateral branch of the Visconti of Milan * Visconti of Pisa and Sardinia, ruled Gallura in Sardinia from ...

and

Sforza The House of Sforza () was a ruling family of Renaissance Italy, based in Milan. They acquired the Duchy of Milan following the extinction of the Visconti family in the mid-15th century, Sforza rule ending in Milan with the death of the last mem ...

families. Throughout the 15th and 16th centuries the local nobility built luxurious residences to demonstrate their power and influence. Today only a few examples of these can still be seen, such as the ducal apartments of the

Castello Sforzesco The Castello Sforzesco (Italian for "Sforza's Castle") is a medieval fortification located in Milan, northern Italy. It was built in the 15th century by Francesco Sforza, Duke of Milan, on the remnants of a 14th-century fortification. Later reno ...

and other private villas such as Casa Borromeo and Casa Pallavicini. Not only Lombard but also

Venetian Venetian often means from or related to: * Venice, a city in Italy * Veneto, a region of Italy * Republic of Venice (697–1797), a historical nation in that area Venetian and the like may also refer to: * Venetian language, a Romance language s ...

Liguria Liguria (; lij, Ligûria ; french: Ligurie) is a Regions of Italy, region of north-western Italy; its Capital city, capital is Genoa. Its territory is crossed by the Alps and the Apennine Mountains, Apennines Mountain chain, mountain range and is ...

Piedmont it, Piemontese , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = , demographics1_info1 = , demographics1_title2 ...

ese and Tuscan artists contributed to their design and decoration, the latter especially in the creation of

fresco Fresco (plural ''frescos'' or ''frescoes'') is a technique of mural painting executed upon freshly laid ("wet") lime plaster. Water is used as the vehicle for the dry-powder pigment to merge with the plaster, and with the setting of the plaste ...

es. The subsequent Spanish domination somewhat curbed the carefree enthusiasm of the humanist era, tending to favour the development of private architecture and making way for it by demolishing existing buildings. The 18th century above all was marked by the construction in Milan of so-called "villas of delight" (''ville di delizia''). As the concept of the summer residence spread, villas were built there for nobles from

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

Venice Venice ( ; it, Venezia ; vec, Venesia or ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 small islands that are separated by canals and linked by over 400 ...

Turin Turin ( , Piedmontese language, Piedmontese: ; it, Torino ) is a city and an important business and cultural centre in Northern Italy. It is the capital city of Piedmont and of the Metropolitan City of Turin, and was the first Italian capital ...

Bologna Bologna (, , ; egl, label= Emilian, Bulåggna ; lat, Bononia) is the capital and largest city of the Emilia-Romagna region in Northern Italy. It is the seventh most populous city in Italy with about 400,000 inhabitants and 150 different nat ...

and

Naples Naples (; it, Napoli ; nap, Napule ), from grc, Νεάπολις, Neápolis, lit=new city. is the regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 909,048 within the city's adminis ...

who conducted their business in Milan. With the

industrial revolution The Industrial Revolution was the transition to new manufacturing processes in Great Britain, continental Europe, and the United States, that occurred during the period from around 1760 to about 1820–1840. This transition included going f ...

came a new period of growth and an enhancement of the architectural beauty of the city, brought about during the 19th century by the influence of the

Habsburg The House of Habsburg (), alternatively spelled Hapsburg in Englishgerman: Haus Habsburg, ; es, Casa de Habsburgo; hu, Habsburg család, it, Casa di Asburgo, nl, Huis van Habsburg, pl, dom Habsburgów, pt, Casa de Habsburgo, la, Domus Hab ...

s, who sought to endow Milan with a new visual dimension since at this stage it was the second city of the empire after

Vienna en, Viennese , iso_code = AT-9 , registration_plate = W , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = , timezone = CET , utc_offset = +1 , timezone_DST ...

. The 20th century was the last period of the "villas of delight". When it entered the new Kingdom of Italy Milan had become an industrial centre of major importance to the new economy and in particular one of the key points for exchanges with

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...

. The

bourgeoisie The bourgeoisie ( , ) is a social class, equivalent to the middle or upper middle class. They are distinguished from, and traditionally contrasted with, the proletariat by their affluence, and their great cultural and financial capital. They ...

then settled in the city as the new 'aristocrats' of the

second industrial revolution The Second Industrial Revolution, also known as the Technological Revolution, was a phase of rapid scientific discovery, standardization, mass production and industrialization from the late 19th century into the early 20th century. The Firs ...

, seeking to return Milan to the grandeur of the past. Despite the extraordinary architectural heritage of the city, what can be seen today represents only a small part of what was created throughout the entire history of the city: the traditional tendency to build after having demolished already existing palaces, together with bombings from the

Second World War 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 ...

, greatly reduces the heritage of the city.

A list of palaces

Roman

* The Emperor's Palace

13th century

Casa Panigarola Casa Panigarola (or Casa dei Panigarola), also known as Palazzo dei Notai ("Palace of the Notaries"), is a historic building of Milan, Italy, located in Piazza Mercanti, former city centre in the Middle Ages. It is named after the House of Paniga ...

(Piazza Mercanti) * Palazzo della Ragione or the Broletto nuovo (Piazza Mercanti)

14th century

* Loggia degli Osii

15th century

* Casa Atellani (Corso Magenta) * Casa Fontana Silvestri (Corso Venezia) * Casa Parravicini (Via Cino del Duca) * Cascina (della) Boscaiola or Cascina Boscarola * Palazzo Acerbi * Palazzo Carmagnola * Palazzo Castani (Piazza San Sepolcro), seat of the Questura di Milano * Palazzo Castelli-Borromeo (Piazza Borromeo) * Palazzo Isimbardi * Palazzo Pozzobonelli-Isimbardi * Villa Mirabello (Via Villa Mirabello, 6), also known as the "Cascina Mirabello"

16th century

* Palazzo di Brera (Via Brera) * Palazzo dei Giureconsulti (Piazza Mercanti) *

Palazzo Marino Palazzo Marino is a 16th-century palace located in Piazza della Scala, in the centre of Milan, Italy. It has been Milan's city hall since 9 September 1861. It borders on Piazza San Fedele, Piazza della Scala, Via Case Rotte and Via Tommaso Marino ...

, (Piazza della Scala) * Palazzo Recalcati * Palazzo delle Scuole Palatine * Palazzo Stampa di Soncino, Casati *

Palazzo Taverna Palazzo Taverna may refer to: * Palazzo Taverna, Milan, Italy * Palazzo Taverna, Rome, Italy {{disambiguation, geo ...

(Via Bigli) * Villa Simonetta (Via Stilicone)

17th century

* Casa Buttafava * Casa Crespi (Corso Venezia) *

Casa degli Omenoni Casa degli Omenoni is a historic palace of Milan, northern Italy, located in the eponymous street of Via degli Omenoni (number 3).Casa degli Omenoni'' It was designed by sculptor Leone Leoni for himself; he both lived and worked there. It owes it ...

(Via degli Omenoni) * Casa Toscanini * Palazzo Annoni (Corso di Porta Romana, 6) * Palazzo Arcivescovile * Palazzo del Capitano di Giustizia (Corso Europa) * Palazzo Cusani (Via Brera, 15) * Palazzo Dugnani (Via Manin, 2) * Palazzo Durini-Caproni or "Palazzo Durini" (Via Durini) * Palazzo Erba Odescalchi *

Palazzo Litta The Palazzo Litta, also known as the Palazzo Arese-Litta, is a Baroque structure in Milan, northern Italy, opposite San Maurizio al Monastero Maggiore, and dating from the period of Spanish rule of the city. In 2018, it served as a cultural cent ...

or Palazzo Arese (Corso Magenta, 24) * Palazzo Olivazzi (Via Bigli) * Palazzo Orsini (Via Borgonuovo) * Palazzo Pusterla Brivio * Palazzo delle ex Scuole Arcimbolde * Palazzo del Senato (Via Senato) *

Palazzo Sormani Palazzo Sormani (also known as Palazzo Sormani-Andreani or cà Sormana in Milanese dialect) is a historic building of Milan, Italy, and the seat of the central public library of Milan. It is located at number 6 in Corso di Porta Vittoria, in the ...

(Corso di Porta Vittoria, 6), seat of the Biblioteca Comunale di Milano * Palazzo delle Stelline * Palazzo Toscanini (Via Durini)

18th century

* Casa Berchet * Casa Buzzoni * Casa Monti (Via G. Verdi) * Palazzo Belgiojoso d'Este (Piazza Belgiojoso) * Palazzo Beccaria * Palazzo Citterio * Palazzo Clerici * Palazzo Confalonieri * Palazzo Fagnani * Palazzo Gallarati-Scotti * Palazzo Greppi * Palazzo Litta-Cusani (Corso Europa) * Palazzo Mellerio * Palazzo Morando-Attendolo-Bolognini (Via S. Andrea, 6) * Palazzo Moriggia (Via Borgonuovo, 23), today the Museum of the Risorgimento *

Palazzo Reale This is a list of royal palaces, sorted by continent. Africa * Abdin Palace, Cairo * Al-Gawhara Palace, Cairo * Koubbeh Palace, Cairo * Tahra Palace, Cairo * Menelik Palace * Jubilee Palace * Guenete Leul Palace * Imperial Palace- Massa ...

* Palazzo Serbelloni (Corso Venezia) * Palazzo Sormani Andreani *

Palazzo Taverna Palazzo Taverna may refer to: * Palazzo Taverna, Milan, Italy * Palazzo Taverna, Rome, Italy {{disambiguation, geo ...

, via Montenapoleone * Palazzo Toscanini * Palazzo Trivulzio * Palazzo Visconti di Grazzano

19th century

* Ca de' Facc (Piazza Baiamonti, 3) *

Ca' de Sass The Ca' de Sass ( Lombard name; literally "house of stone") is a monumental 19th century building in Milan, Italy, located close to the city centre, at numbers 6 and 8 of Via Monte di Pietà. It used to be the headquarters of Cariplo, a former Ita ...

(sede della Banca Cariplo) * Casa Dell'Acqua * Casa Alesina (Via Cappuccio, 11) * Casa Bettoni or dei Bersaglieri (Corso di Porta Romana, 20) * Casa Borella (Via Berchet 2, junction Via San Raffaele and Via U. Foscolo) * Casa Bosi Pelitti (Via Castelfidardo, 10) * Casa Bottelli (Via Dante, 12) * Casa Broggi * Ca' Brutta * Casa Candiani (Via G.B. Vico, 20) * Casa Castini (Via Dante 4, corner Via S. Prospero) * Casa Celesia (Via Dante, 7) * Casa Chicchieri (Via Dante, corner Via San Tommaso) * Casa Ciani (Corso Venezia, corner Via Boschetti) * Casa Dell'Acqua (Piazza Castello 27) * Casa Fasoli (Via Torino, 50) * Casa Gadda-Portaluppi (Piazza Castello 20, corner Via Lanza 5) * Casa Grondona (Corso Italia 57, corner Via San Martino) *

Casa Manzoni Casa Manzoni (in English ''Manzoni House'') is a historical palace sited in via Morone 1 near the quadrilateral of fashion in the center of Milan, Italy. Owned by the Manzoni family, the house was the birthplace of the famous Italian writer Ales ...

(Via Morone 1 / Piazza Belgiojoso) * Casa Negri (Corso di Porta Romana) * Casa Pirovano (Via Giulini 2, corner with Via Dante) * Casa and Museo Poldi-Pezzoli (Via Manzoni 12-14) * Casa Reininghaus * Casa Rigamonti (Via Solferino, 24-24a) * Casa Rossi (Corso Magenta, 12) * Casa Sardi (Via Paleocapa, 3) * Casa Sartorelli (Via San Raffaele, 4) *

Palazzo Anguissola The Palazzo Anguissola or Anguissola Traversi is a palace located at Via Manzoni number 10, in central Milan, a city in the northern Italy. Construction began in 1778, and its Neoclassical facade, designed by Luigi Canonica, was added in 1829.

(Via Manzoni) * Palazzo Archinto * Palazzo & Museum Bagatti-Valsecchi (Via Santo Spirito 7) * Palazzo della Banca d'Italia * Palazzo Barozzi * Palazzo Belgiojoso-Besana (Piazza Belgiojoso) * Palazzo Beltrami * Palazzo Bonacosa (Via Q. Sella 4 / Piazza Castello) * Palazzo Borgazzi *

Palazzo Brentani The Palazzo Brentani is a monumental Neoclassical palace, located on Via Manzoni #6, in the centre of Milan, region of Lombardy, Italy. Both this palace and the adjacent Palazzo Anguissola have sober academic facades, designed by Luigi Canonica ...

(Via Manzoni, 6) * Palazzo Cagnola * Palazzo Carcano-Tondani *

Palazzo Diotti The Prefecture, Milan (Italian: ''Palazzo della Prefettura di Milano'', ), also known as Palazzo Diotti, is a historic Neoclassical architecture, neoclassical building which has been the location of the office of the Prefect#Italy, Prefect of Mil ...

also known as "Palazzo della prefettura" * Palazzo Ercole Turati (Via Meravigli, 11) * Palazzo Francesco Turati (Via Meravigli, 7-9) * Palazzo Haas (Via U. Foscolo, 1-3) * Palazzo dell'ex Kursaal Diana * Palazzo Luraschi (Corso Buenos Aires 1 / Piazza Oberdan) *

Melzi d'Eril Francesco Melzi d'Eril, Duke of Lodi, Count of Magenta (6 March 1753 – 16 January 1816) was an Italian politician and patriot, serving as vice-president of the Napoleonic Italian Republic (1802–1805). He was a consistent supporter of the It ...

* Palazzo del Museo di Scienze Naturali (Corso Venezia, 55) * Palazzo della Permanente (Via Turati, 34) * Palazzo Porro-Lambertenghi (Via Monte di Pietà) * Palazzo Rusconi-Clerici (Piazza Castello, 16) *

Palazzo Saporiti The Palazzo Saporiti, also known as Palazzo Rocca-Saporiti, is a historic Neoclassical architecture, Neoclassical mansion in the centre of the north Italian city of Milan. History The mansion was commissioned in 1800 by Gaetano Belloni who manage ...

* Palazzo Savonelli (Via Dante, piazza Cordusio, Via Broletto, Via S. Prospero 1) *

Palazzo Serbelloni The Palazzo Serbelloni is a Neoclassical palace in Milan. The palace at the site was constructed for the aristocrat Gabrio Serbelloni. In the late 18th century, the palace was extensively reconstructed including the façade by Simone Cantoni. T ...

* Palazzo Spinola * Palazzo della Società per le Strade Ferrate del Mediterraneo * Palazzo Talenti (Via G. Verdi) *

Palazzo Tarsis The Palazzo Tarsis is an 18th-century mansion in Milan, northern Italy, built in the Neoclassical style. Its interiors were fully renovated after the building was bombed in 1943. Historically part of the Porta Nuova district, it is located at 1, ...

(Via S. Paolo) *

Palazzo Taverna Palazzo Taverna may refer to: * Palazzo Taverna, Milan, Italy * Palazzo Taverna, Rome, Italy {{disambiguation, geo ...

* Palazzo Torelli-Viollier (Via Paleocapa 4-6, corner Via Jacini) * Palazzo della Veneranda Fabbrica del Duomo * Villa Belgiojoso-Bonaparte or '' Royal Villa of Milan''

20th century

* Ca' Brutta * Casa Apostolo * Casa Campanini * Casa Cambiaghi * Casa Ferrario * Casa Galimberti *

Casa Guazzoni Casa Guazzoni is a building at via Malpighi 12 in Milan in the Liberty style, or Italian Art Nouveau. History of the building It was planned by architect Giovanni Battista Bossi (1864–1924) in 1904–1906 on behalf of Cav. Giacomo Guazzoni, w ...

* Casa Laugier * Casa Morganti * Casa Piana (Via Sant'Ambrogio 29, corner with Via Lanzone) * Castello Cova * Palazzo Berri-Meregalli * Palazzo Bolchini * Palazzo Castiglioni (Corso Venezia) * Palazzo Civita * Palazzo Crespi * Palazzo Cusini * Palazzo di Giustizia * Palazzo del cinema Odeon * Palazzo del Toro * Palazzo del Touring Club Italiano * Palazzo dell'Arte * Palazzo della Banca Commerciale Italiana * Palazzo della Banca d'Italia * Palazzo della Banca di Roma * Palazzo della Banca Popolare di Milano * Palazzo della ex Borsa * Palazzo della Rinascente * Palazzo della Società Reale Mutua di Assicurazioni * Palazzo d'Este (viale Beatrice d'Este 23) * Palazzo Fidia * Palazzo Meroni *

Palazzo Mezzanotte Palazzo Mezzanotte, also known as Palazzo delle Borse ("Stock Exchange Palace") is a 20th-century building of Milan, Italy, and the seat of the Italian stock exchange. It is located in Piazza Affari ("Business Square"), the city square after which ...

, seat of the Borsa d'Italia * Palazzo Veronesi * Torre Rasini * Torre San Babila * Torre Velasca * Villa Necchi Campiglio * Villino Calabresi (Via XX Settembre) * Villino Gotico (Via Cernaia) * Villino Hoepli (Via XX Settembre)

50s

Among the buildings in Milan's building history, those belonging to the MAC Movement - Concrete Art Movement and to Italian rationalism, designed by renowned designers, are of international interest, due to their historical and artistic value. * The Abstract House (Milan) (Viale Beatrice d'Este 24) * Palace Galamanini Portaluppi, by Gualtiero Galamini and

Piero Portaluppi Piero Portaluppi (19 March 1888 – 6 July 1967) was an Italian architect. Biography Pietro (known as Piero) Portaluppi was born in Milan, son of the engineer Luisa Gadda e Oreste Portaluppi. He graduated in 1905 from the Istituto Tecnic ...

, (Viale Beatrice d'Este 23) * Casa Caccia Dominioni (piazza S.Ambrogio, 16) * Casa della Meridiana, by

Giuseppe de Finetti Giuseppe is the Italian form of the given name Joseph, from Latin Iōsēphus from Ancient Greek Ἰωσήφ (Iōsḗph), from Hebrew יוסף. It is the most common name in Italy and is unique (97%) to it. The feminine form of the name is Giuse ...

, (via Marchiondi, 3)

20th century

* Palazzo Roentgen (via Guglielmo Roentgen, 1)

Sources

* ''I palazzi della vecchia Milano'' G.C. Bascapé, Ulrico Hoepli Editore, Milano, 1986 * ''Milano di terracotta e mattoni'' O.P. Melano, Mazzotta Editore, Milano, 2002 {{Milan landmarks Buildings and structures in Milan Tourist attractions in Milan Palaces in Milan