Palazzo Anguissola Antona Traversi

The main body of the Palazzo was designed by Lugano-born Carlo Felice Soave – the young architect who had adopted the latest interpretations of Greek and Roman-inspired Classicism that made up the current cultural and aesthetic language of his day; it was commissioned by Count Antonio Carlo Anguissola on his marriage to Bianca Busca Arconati Visconti. Soave carried out his work between 1775 and 1778, transforming what was once a traditional aristocratic Milanese home (owned by Girolamo Morone in the 16th century) into one of the city’s most elegant stately residences, admired for its new and sophisticated apartments and their decor. In 1817 the Palazzo was sold to the wealthy lawyer Giovanni Battista Traversi who in 1829 appointed Luigi Canonica to design the body of the building on corsia del Giardino, now Via Manzoni. Canonica’s facade had a granite basement topped with a giant order of Palladian-style Corinthian pilasters, ending in a cornice featuring a highly ornate raised frieze; he also designed a courtyard with rounded corners, including large granite Doric columns without a base, according to the fashion of the day, and created the grand staircase.

Renovated by Michele De Lucchi, the ground floor is now part of Gallerie d’Italia – Piazza Scala.

INFORMATION

10 Via Manzoni, Milan, Italy