Villas and palaces in Milan are used to indicate public and private buildings in Milan of particular artistic and architectural value. The lack of a royal court did not give Milan the prerequisites for a significant development of building construction; nevertheless it contains architectural works from different eras and different styles: from Romanesque to neo-Gothic, from Baroque to eclectic, from Italian twentieth century to rationalism.
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 Barbarians and the end of the Middle Ages, a new tradition of aristocratic refinement, chivalry and good taste was established in Milan by the ruling Visconti and Sforza 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 and other private villas such as Casa Borromeo and Casa Pallavicini. Not only Lombard but also Venetian, Ligurian, Piedmontese and Tuscan artists contributed to their design and decoration, the latter especially in the creation of frescoes.
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, Venice, Turin, Bologna and Naples who conducted their business in Milan.
With the Industrial Revolution 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 Habsburgs, who sought to endow Milan with a new visual dimension since at this stage it was the second city of the empire after Vienna.
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. The bourgeoisie then settled in the city as the new 'aristocrats' of the Second Industrial Revolution, 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, greatly reduces the heritage of the city.
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.
Pigna is the 9th rione of Rome, Italy, identified by the initials R. IX, and belongs to the Municipio I. The name means "pine cone" in Italian, and the symbol of the rione is the colossal bronze pine cone standing in the middle of the homonymous fountain. The fountain, which was initially located in the Baths of Agrippa, now decorates a vast niche in the wall of the Vatican facing the Cortile della Pigna, located in Vatican City.
BBPR was an architectural partnership founded in Milan, Italy in 1932.
The Nicola Trussardi Foundation is a non-profit institution for the promotion of contemporary art and culture. Created in 1996, the Nicola Trussardi Foundation ran its own exhibiting space in Piazza della Scala in Milan.
Via Manzoni is a busy and fashionable street in the Italian city of Milan which leads from the Piazza della Scala north-west towards Piazza Cavour. Notable buildings include the Museo Poldi Pezzoli, the elegant Grand Hotel et de Milan, which was the place of Giuseppe Verdi’s death in 1901, and several fine palaces. Via Manzoni was originally called Corsia del Giardino before the crossroad with Via Monte Napoleone and Corso di Porta Nuova up until Piazza Cavour.
Corso Venezia is a street in Milan, Italy. It is one of the city's most exclusive and elegant avenues, being part of the city's upscale Quadrilatero della moda shopping district, along with Via Montenapoleone, Via della Spiga, Via Sant'Andrea and Via Manzoni. It also boasts a great collection of Renaissance, Baroque, Rococo and Neo-classical palaces, parks and gardens.
The Quadrilatero della moda, or Via Montenapoleone fashion district, is a shopping district in the centre of the Italian city of Milan. Shops there include both Italian fashion and international brands.
Piazza Cordusio is a square in central Milan, Italy. The piazza takes its name from the Cors Ducis which was located on the square during Longobard times. It is well known for its several turn-of-the-19th-century Neoclassical, eclectic and Art Nouveau buildings, banks and post offices. Even though many of these have now relocated elsewhere, it is still an important commercial square in the city and hosts the Palazzo delle Assicurazioni Generali, the Palazzo del Credito Italiano and the Palazzo delle Poste, former Borsa di Milano. Piazzale Cordusio hosts the Cordusio metro station and is the starting point of the elegant pedestrian Via Dante which leads to the imposing medieval Castello Sforzesco, or Milan Castle. Opposite to Via Dante, Cordusio borders onto Piazza Mercanti, former city centre in the Middle Ages, which leads directly to Piazza del Duomo, today's city centre.
Porta Venezia is one of the historical gates of the city of Milan, Italy. In its present form, the gate dates back to the 19th century; nevertheless, its origins can be traced back to the medieval and even the Roman walls of the city.
Piazza Mercanti is a central city square of Milan, Italy. It is located between Piazza del Duomo, which marks the centre of the modern city of Milan, and Piazza Cordusio, and it used to be the heart of the city in the Middle Ages. At the time, the square was larger than it is now and known as "Piazza del Broletto", after the "Broletto Nuovo", the palace that occupied the centre of the square. In the 13th century, there were six entry points to the square, each associated to a specific trade, from sword blacksmiths to hat makers.
The Zone 1 of Milan, since 2016 officially Municipality 1 of Milan, is one of the 9 administrative divisions of Milan, Italy.
The Palazzo Belgioioso is a palatial residence in the northern Italian city of Milan, completed in 1781 in a Neoclassical style by Giuseppe Piermarini.
Luigi "Gino" Coppedè was an Italian architect, sculptor and decorator. He was an exponent of Art Nouveau.
Piero Portaluppi was an Italian architect. He is known for his prolific output, having designed over 100 buildings in Milan.
The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to Milan:
Eugenio Soncini was an Italian architect.
Giovanni Greppi was an Italian architect best known for having designed some of the most famous military shrines in Italy.
Alessandro Mazzucotelli was an Italian craftsman, particularly known as a master ironworker and decorator. A specialist in wrought iron, Mazzucotelli linked his fame to the decorations of the works of the major exponents of Art Nouveau in Italy and abroad.
