The facade of Palazzo Litta features an elaborate, undulating stone balcony that seems to ripple across the building like fabric. Architect Giovanni Ruggeri designed this curve in the seventeen fifties to soften the rigid lines typical of…
Courtyards of Cinque Vie
This walk leads you through Milan's oldest neighborhood to see the quiet, historic courtyards tucked behind unassuming residential facades.
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1. Palazzo Litta
2. Casa Rossi e cortile ottagonale
The Casa Rossi occupies the corner of Corso di Porta Romana with a facade of rhythmic terracotta balconies and deep, recessed arches. Designed in eighteen seventy-six by Giuseppe Rossi, it served as a speculative apartment block for the…
3. Palazzo Fagnani
The courtyard of Palazzo Fagnani features a distinctive, weathered stone portal that sets the structure apart from the surrounding modern facades. This site served as the primary residence for the aristocratic Fagnani family for…
4. House of the Morigi
The Casa Morigi sits on the corner of Via dell'Orso, marked by a terracotta-colored facade and heavy, wrought-iron window grilles that date back to the seventeenth century. While much of the surrounding neighborhood feels modern, this…
5. Palazzo Borromeo
The heavy, rusticated stone doorway of Palazzo Borromeo stands out among the narrow, winding streets near the Duomo. This fortress-like entrance hides a late Gothic courtyard that remains one of the few surviving private interiors from…
6. Società d'Incoraggiamento d'Arti e Mestieri (SIAM1838)
The Società d'Incoraggiamento d'Arti e Mestieri occupies a building marked by a series of brick arches and large windows on Via Santa Marta. Founded in eighteen thirty-eight, it served as a technical school for workers and artisans during…
7. Palazzo Stampa Soncino
The Palazzo Stampa di Soncino features a stone portal framed by two massive columns of pink Baveno granite. These pillars support a stone balcony that sits heavy against the facade of the via Soncino building. Massimiliano Stampa, the…