Milán
Monuments and surrounding districts near Doria Grand Hotel
The New Zone 3 of Milan, called "Venezia - Città Studi - Lambrate", is one of the new recently formed Zones set up following the reform of territorial decentralisation implemented in 1999. Here follows a brief illustration of the stages of development of Zone 3, and we shall also visit its most characteristic places. Stages in development: In the nineteenth century, there were no houses or streets outside the Eastern Gate (Porta Orientale), that is now known as Porta Venezia. To the East, the city of Milan finished there. The Zone remained outside the main part of the city, in spite of the fact that during the period of Austrian domination there had been a considerable increase in trade relations with Austria and with the Veneto, with the development of the road that started from what was then called Porta Orientale. The real urban explosion of Zone 3 started in 1875; in fact new roads, avenues and streets were formed and the railway lines connecting Milan and Monza were inaugurated. Around 1905, many houses were built in the area between Buenos Aires Road, named after the large colony of Italian emigrants in Argentina, S. Gregorio Street, Settembrini Street and Petrella Street and also around Porpora Avenue, Vallazze Street and Lulli Street. The building of Città Studi (The Study City), between 1926 and 1927 gave a great boost to the area to the East of Corso Buenos Aires, completely transforming it following a logic that was revolutionary for that time, i.e. that of creating a brand new district capable of satisfying specific requirements. So, from 1931 there was a real urban upheaval, when the new Central Station was launched with the demolition of the old railway track, contradicting every declared intention of containing the urban population and every naturalistic rhetoric. With the moving of the railway track, the whole area took on a completely new face. The old tenements that overlooked the railway line were demolished and new elegant apartments were built in styles that would range from Art Nouveau to Art Deco and the style that was typical of the Mussolini era. During the years of the Second World War, the Zone became an integral part of the Centre of Milan with its complete, intense urbanisation and, above all, the building of modern and spacious roads and avenues. In the years following the war, reconstruction and the economic boom encouraged Milan, and therefore Zone 3 also, to relaunch its traditional industrial structure. At the same time, two new phenomena also developed, which were to show their importance in the long term: immigration, now on a much wider scale and multi-ethnic, and therefore a massive expansion in the economic business of service industries. The first years of the Fifties were to see another significant development in the history of the Zone, with the work of the architect Piero Bottoni. In his design work, he imagined transforming Corso Buenos Aires radically and in a way that would be successful. In fact, he broke the mould of houses built one after the other and designed “the corridor street” creating a series of decidedly tall buildings whose lower two floors where allocated to shops. So, the gallery that crossed the shopping structure in two directions was particularly interesting, and if it had continued, it would have created a system of covered pedestrian ways and, therefore, a really modern shopping centre. Although only one example of this type was built with a building of 50 metres, building regulations only allowed 24, Bottoni’s vision was completely successful and was adopted by the private building sector, that introduced it right along the Corso. It was the triumph of Corso Buenos Aires, with a record increase in shops, and would make it one of the most important and popular streets in Milan. The gradual building of the Underground was another thing that upset existing balances, introducing, on one hand, a large scale elimination in production terms and on the other the realisation of tertiary functions and residences that were built more for the bourgeois classes than for the working class. In other words, a proliferation of banks, offices and supermarkets took place. A journey through the districts and beauty spots of the zone. There is no lack of Churches, Monuments and beauty spots of considerable cultural and historical interest. Porta Venezia is the beginning of: Corso Buenos Aires: one of the most important shopping streets of Europe, an emblem of a mercantilist vocation of which some inner courtyards bear witness, behind the curtain of the facades of buildings of great elegance and formal purity. Palazzo Luraschi N. 1 in the Corso is particularly worth a visit, dating back to the end of the nineteenth century, one of the first buildings in reinforced concrete in Italy. In Malpighi Street, also, two other buildings in pure Art Nouveau style can be admired, with floral decorations. Casa Galimberti, built between 1902 and 1905, characterised by its large surfaces of facade covered in ceramic figures and wrought iron railings and Casa Guazzoni (1903-1906). In Pisacane Street other examples of Art Nouveau can be found dating back to the beginning of the last century and the building in Melzo Avenue containing the district library. Another important aspect is the Lazzaretto, a structure formed by a quadrilateral which covered a surface area of 140,000 m2. This building was started in 1488 and was finished in 1513 and was used as a quarantine hospital for patients suffering from the plague. Over the years, the Lazzaretto was used for various purposes: warehouse, stables, infirmary and even as a military store house, until, in the Nineteenth century it became a poor house. In 1881 it was put up for auction and was bought by Credito Italiano that moved the poor families into more comfortable homes and gradually demolished most of the structure, leaving intact only a section of the perimeter wall with the arcade and the Church of Saint Carlino. A further visit is worthwhile to the Low-cost Houses of the Workmen’s Building Company and the public baths built by Valerio and Squadrelli at the beginning of the last century in Benedetto Marcello Street, 39 and in Petrella Street, 19, a typical example of Italian style tenements. Still on the look-out for interesting spots, the Bottoni house built at Mercadante Street, 11 in 1934, standing out with its great formal elegance given by the arcades along its facade, is particularly interesting. If, on the other hand, instead of continuing along Corso Buenos Aires, we turn East, we reach the area better known as Città Studi (Study City), built on the place called Cascine Doppie between 1919 and 1927, with its technical-scientific university buildings alternating with low-cost apartment blocks dating back to the early twentieth century. This district was built as a result of the decidedly modern idea to create a district and a new town zone for a specific use. The general project was carried out by the architects Gaetano Moretti and Augusto Brusconi. Opposite the square dedicated to Leonardo da Vinci is the Polytechnic, founded in 1863 and containing the various technical-scientific faculties, with its monumental facade. The curious building of the Institute of Industrial Chemistry stands out from the various faculties, re-baptised the Kremlin by students because of its domes and spires. The Polytechnic has played an important role in post-war industrial development, and continues to be one of the focal points of research in Italy, closely linked to the main European universities. Square Leonardo da Vinci, with its many rare botanical species, is the largest and central square in the zone, with two monuments of certain importance. The first rises among the leaves of the trees and is a statue of the engineer Eugenio Villoresi (Monza 1810, Milan 1879). The modern sculpture of A. Cascella, called "In the Garden of Peace", is the second monument. In Ponzio Street we find the Guido Romano swimming pool, built during the Thirties, one of the largest swimming pools in Milan. The very characteristic Pascoli district, built around 1923-1924 can also be attributed to Broglio, and includes Tiepolo Street, Pascoli Street and Juvara Street. Corso Buenos Aires ends in Square Loreto, which in the Nineteenth century was called “stradone di Loreto” and culminated in the Rotonda del Loreto after a long row of poplars. The name derives from a small nearby church and was dedicated to the Madonna of Loreto, on the wish of some Milanese citizens who were very devoted to the Madonna of the sanctuary in the Marches. The Church of our Lady of Loreto was built in 1607, designed by Richini; next to it there was also a cenoby inhabited by the Cistercian Monks, but in 1913, it was completely demolished after a long period of decay. Continuing from Square Loreto along Andrea Costa Street and Casoretto we arrive at the Abbey of Saint Maria Bianca della Misericordia, which, according to the chronicler Sire Raul, dates back to 1162. It’s, also known as the Abbey of Casoretto. Originally it was the private chapel of the Tanzi family, housing the fresco of Saint Maria Bianca della Misericordia, painted by Pisanello in 1398. The real church was built at the beginning of the fifteenth century by the Regolari Lateranensi canons, to whom the nobleman Pietro Tanzi gave the Chapel together with some adjacent properties. Built in Gothic-Lombard style on a design of the architect Guiniforte Solari it has a sloped facade, in the Bramante style, like the portal and the two arched windows along its side, while on the facade we find large sharply arched windows. At its side we find the cloisters dating back to the sixteenth century and the bell-tower which was built in 1490. In addition to the fresco of the Madonna, the Church also has a limited number of works dating back to the XV century. Until the nineteenth century the Rottole district was almost completely uninhabited. It contained only a farm and a small Church: the Church of Saint Carlo alle Rottole. The name Rottole has two meanings: it derives from the ancient de Rotaris Street, from the Lombard king Rotari (640-654), who was committed to reusing the ancient Roman Streets, or it has a more popular origin and may derive from the word in dialect “rotul” meaning the large pebbles and stone slabs used in building Roman roads. Our pilgrimage brings us to what used to be the rural village of Cimianus or Cimilianus. The name, of Latin origin, has a mysterious meaning; some believe that it refers to the Cimiliano family, ancient land owners, while others believe it means a place of rest or cemetery, in any case, a quiet place. Cimiano owes its fortune to the spread of villas and farms in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, since it was considered a favourite place for holidays by noble Milanese families because of its vicinity to the Lambro Park. Numerous villas were therefore built alongside more modest houses and farms from which the historical centre of the district sprang. The ancient Crescentii Ager, Crescenzago, field of Crescenzio, was one of the numerous villages that sprang up in the Later Middle Ages along the Milan-Bergamo road. The village gradually saw its importance diminish when the Martesana Canal was built at the end of the fifteenth century and then the resulting decrease in the importance of the ancient Bergamo road. Following this event, the agricultural scenery and farm land changed. In fact, the village was considered particularly inviting and attractive and therefore numerous private villas were built by the Milanese nobility. The Carnia district developed during the Sixties with a strong presence of low-cost and residential housing, but kept, nevertheless, important historical buildings. A remarkable one is the Palazzetta, a villa in Rombon Road, dating back to the second half of the seventeenth century and which has been carefully renovated, preserving all of its original architecture. The villa is also known as Garibaldina. The next stage of our tour is the fairly recent Feltre district (1958-59), which has an unusual appearance due to the abundance of greenery and the use of baked brick on the outside of the buildings which make it seem like an extension to the nearby would-be Lambro Park. The district of Lambrate, in the East North-East zone of Milan has very ancient origins. The oldest reference we can find is in the Natural History of Pliny the Elder dating back to the 1st century B.C. In his work, Pliny speaks about the river Lambrus or Lamprus, with a precise reference to its clear and limpid waters. The name of the village Lambrate descends directly from the name of the river. Built on a fertile plain with an abundance of water, right from the start the village was a popular prey of the Gallic and later the Roman populations, whose settlements have been confirmed by many archaeological finds. Perfectly developed in the city on a surface area of more than 150 hectares, Lambro Park was established in the aftermath of World War II, bringing a stop to the deforestation and environmental decay from which the entire zone was suffering. Its environmental context has undergone considerable changes following the second world war. And, if initially the territory was a rural area, the urbanisation process of those years compromised its integrity, at least in part. Thanks to this, however, it has been possible to recover a natural environment and a landscape that is rich in historical and naturalistic values. Many grassy and woody areas belong to the elegant villas that were built during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. The rich heritage of industrial archaeology also remains intact and is only waiting to be revitalised. Only now is it really possible to say, after years of decay and fear, after an intense project to decontaminate the waters, that the Park has been slowly returned to its ancient splendours. References can be found to the ancient rural village of Ortica during the Vi and VII centuries, but more reliable historical references to the area can be found towards the end of the IX century when it can be recognised as the municipality of Cavriano. However, it is difficult to establish when its current name actually appeared. However, it is widely believed that it refers to the expanse of wild vegetation that stretched as far as the eye could see. And it can be linked to the expulsion of the inhabitants of Porta Nuova and Porta Orientale ordered by the emperor Red Beard (Barbarossa) in Milan, during the second half of 1100, which resulted in the presence of a large number of fugitives in this area. We must briefly mention the Milan Educational Institute for boys - "Martinitt", in Pitteri Street 56, now also the headquarters of the Museum of the Toy and the Child, that exhibits more than 1,500 splendidly made toys dated between 1700 and 1950. The building is located on the site where the Gunpowder Factory once stood and which was transferred outside town because of the risk of explosions and fire and also because of its need of sources of water to generate sufficient energy to power its machines. On 17th March 1825 the Gunpowder Factory closed, after a series of events and a history that dated back to the end of the sixteenth century. It was only after the First World War that people remembered it. The institution of Pio Ospizio Trivulzio and the Orphanages took over the whole area with the intention of building a new headquarters there for the Martinitt, to replace the very dilapidated one of Saint Peter in Gessate. The first brick was laid in 1928 and the official inauguration, in the presence of Mussolini, took place on 26th October 1932.
The New Zone 3 of Milan, called "Venezia - Città Studi - Lambrate", is one of the new recently formed Zones set up following the reform of territorial decentralisation implemented in 1999. Here follows a brief illustration of the stages of development of Zone 3, and we shall also visit its most characteristic places. Stages in development: In the nineteenth century, there were no houses or streets outside the Eastern Gate (Porta Orientale), that is now known as Porta Venezia. To the East, the city of Milan finished there. The Zone remained outside the main part of the city, in spite of the fact that during the period of Austrian domination there had been a considerable increase in trade relations with Austria and with the Veneto, with the development of the road that started from what was then called Porta Orientale. The real urban explosion of Zone 3 started in 1875; in fact new roads, avenues and streets were formed and the railway lines connecting Milan and Monza were inaugurated. Around 1905, many houses were built in the area between Buenos Aires Road, named after the large colony of Italian emigrants in Argentina, S. Gregorio Street, Settembrini Street and Petrella Street and also around Porpora Avenue, Vallazze Street and Lulli Street. The building of Città Studi (The Study City), between 1926 and 1927 gave a great boost to the area to the East of Corso Buenos Aires, completely transforming it following a logic that was revolutionary for that time, i.e. that of creating a brand new district capable of satisfying specific requirements. So, from 1931 there was a real urban upheaval, when the new Central Station was launched with the demolition of the old railway track, contradicting every declared intention of containing the urban population and every naturalistic rhetoric. With the moving of the railway track, the whole area took on a completely new face. The old tenements that overlooked the railway line were demolished and new elegant apartments were built in styles that would range from Art Nouveau to Art Deco and the style that was typical of the Mussolini era. During the years of the Second World War, the Zone became an integral part of the Centre of Milan with its complete, intense urbanisation and, above all, the building of modern and spacious roads and avenues. In the years following the war, reconstruction and the economic boom encouraged Milan, and therefore Zone 3 also, to relaunch its traditional industrial structure. At the same time, two new phenomena also developed, which were to show their importance in the long term: immigration, now on a much wider scale and multi-ethnic, and therefore a massive expansion in the economic business of service industries. The first years of the Fifties were to see another significant development in the history of the Zone, with the work of the architect Piero Bottoni. In his design work, he imagined transforming Corso Buenos Aires radically and in a way that would be successful. In fact, he broke the mould of houses built one after the other and designed “the corridor street” creating a series of decidedly tall buildings whose lower two floors where allocated to shops. So, the gallery that crossed the shopping structure in two directions was particularly interesting, and if it had continued, it would have created a system of covered pedestrian ways and, therefore, a really modern shopping centre. Although only one example of this type was built with a building of 50 metres, building regulations only allowed 24, Bottoni’s vision was completely successful and was adopted by the private building sector, that introduced it right along the Corso. It was the triumph of Corso Buenos Aires, with a record increase in shops, and would make it one of the most important and popular streets in Milan. The gradual building of the Underground was another thing that upset existing balances, introducing, on one hand, a large scale elimination in production terms and on the other the realisation of tertiary functions and residences that were built more for the bourgeois classes than for the working class. In other words, a proliferation of banks, offices and supermarkets took place. A journey through the districts and beauty spots of the zone. There is no lack of Churches, Monuments and beauty spots of considerable cultural and historical interest. Porta Venezia is the beginning of: Corso Buenos Aires: one of the most important shopping streets of Europe, an emblem of a mercantilist vocation of which some inner courtyards bear witness, behind the curtain of the facades of buildings of great elegance and formal purity. Palazzo Luraschi N. 1 in the Corso is particularly worth a visit, dating back to the end of the nineteenth century, one of the first buildings in reinforced concrete in Italy. In Malpighi Street, also, two other buildings in pure Art Nouveau style can be admired, with floral decorations. Casa Galimberti, built between 1902 and 1905, characterised by its large surfaces of facade covered in ceramic figures and wrought iron railings and Casa Guazzoni (1903-1906). In Pisacane Street other examples of Art Nouveau can be found dating back to the beginning of the last century and the building in Melzo Avenue containing the district library. Another important aspect is the Lazzaretto, a structure formed by a quadrilateral which covered a surface area of 140,000 m2. This building was started in 1488 and was finished in 1513 and was used as a quarantine hospital for patients suffering from the plague. Over the years, the Lazzaretto was used for various purposes: warehouse, stables, infirmary and even as a military store house, until, in the Nineteenth century it became a poor house. In 1881 it was put up for auction and was bought by Credito Italiano that moved the poor families into more comfortable homes and gradually demolished most of the structure, leaving intact only a section of the perimeter wall with the arcade and the Church of Saint Carlino. A further visit is worthwhile to the Low-cost Houses of the Workmen’s Building Company and the public baths built by Valerio and Squadrelli at the beginning of the last century in Benedetto Marcello Street, 39 and in Petrella Street, 19, a typical example of Italian style tenements. Still on the look-out for interesting spots, the Bottoni house built at Mercadante Street, 11 in 1934, standing out with its great formal elegance given by the arcades along its facade, is particularly interesting. If, on the other hand, instead of continuing along Corso Buenos Aires, we turn East, we reach the area better known as Città Studi (Study City), built on the place called Cascine Doppie between 1919 and 1927, with its technical-scientific university buildings alternating with low-cost apartment blocks dating back to the early twentieth century. This district was built as a result of the decidedly modern idea to create a district and a new town zone for a specific use. The general project was carried out by the architects Gaetano Moretti and Augusto Brusconi. Opposite the square dedicated to Leonardo da Vinci is the Polytechnic, founded in 1863 and containing the various technical-scientific faculties, with its monumental facade. The curious building of the Institute of Industrial Chemistry stands out from the various faculties, re-baptised the Kremlin by students because of its domes and spires. The Polytechnic has played an important role in post-war industrial development, and continues to be one of the focal points of research in Italy, closely linked to the main European universities. Square Leonardo da Vinci, with its many rare botanical species, is the largest and central square in the zone, with two monuments of certain importance. The first rises among the leaves of the trees and is a statue of the engineer Eugenio Villoresi (Monza 1810, Milan 1879). The modern sculpture of A. Cascella, called "In the Garden of Peace", is the second monument. In Ponzio Street we find the Guido Romano swimming pool, built during the Thirties, one of the largest swimming pools in Milan. The very characteristic Pascoli district, built around 1923-1924 can also be attributed to Broglio, and includes Tiepolo Street, Pascoli Street and Juvara Street. Corso Buenos Aires ends in Square Loreto, which in the Nineteenth century was called “stradone di Loreto” and culminated in the Rotonda del Loreto after a long row of poplars. The name derives from a small nearby church and was dedicated to the Madonna of Loreto, on the wish of some Milanese citizens who were very devoted to the Madonna of the sanctuary in the Marches. The Church of our Lady of Loreto was built in 1607, designed by Richini; next to it there was also a cenoby inhabited by the Cistercian Monks, but in 1913, it was completely demolished after a long period of decay. Continuing from Square Loreto along Andrea Costa Street and Casoretto we arrive at the Abbey of Saint Maria Bianca della Misericordia, which, according to the chronicler Sire Raul, dates back to 1162. It’s, also known as the Abbey of Casoretto. Originally it was the private chapel of the Tanzi family, housing the fresco of Saint Maria Bianca della Misericordia, painted by Pisanello in 1398. The real church was built at the beginning of the fifteenth century by the Regolari Lateranensi canons, to whom the nobleman Pietro Tanzi gave the Chapel together with some adjacent properties. Built in Gothic-Lombard style on a design of the architect Guiniforte Solari it has a sloped facade, in the Bramante style, like the portal and the two arched windows along its side, while on the facade we find large sharply arched windows. At its side we find the cloisters dating back to the sixteenth century and the bell-tower which was built in 1490. In addition to the fresco of the Madonna, the Church also has a limited number of works dating back to the XV century. Until the nineteenth century the Rottole district was almost completely uninhabited. It contained only a farm and a small Church: the Church of Saint Carlo alle Rottole. The name Rottole has two meanings: it derives from the ancient de Rotaris Street, from the Lombard king Rotari (640-654), who was committed to reusing the ancient Roman Streets, or it has a more popular origin and may derive from the word in dialect “rotul” meaning the large pebbles and stone slabs used in building Roman roads. Our pilgrimage brings us to what used to be the rural village of Cimianus or Cimilianus. The name, of Latin origin, has a mysterious meaning; some believe that it refers to the Cimiliano family, ancient land owners, while others believe it means a place of rest or cemetery, in any case, a quiet place. Cimiano owes its fortune to the spread of villas and farms in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, since it was considered a favourite place for holidays by noble Milanese families because of its vicinity to the Lambro Park. Numerous villas were therefore built alongside more modest houses and farms from which the historical centre of the district sprang. The ancient Crescentii Ager, Crescenzago, field of Crescenzio, was one of the numerous villages that sprang up in the Later Middle Ages along the Milan-Bergamo road. The village gradually saw its importance diminish when the Martesana Canal was built at the end of the fifteenth century and then the resulting decrease in the importance of the ancient Bergamo road. Following this event, the agricultural scenery and farm land changed. In fact, the village was considered particularly inviting and attractive and therefore numerous private villas were built by the Milanese nobility. The Carnia district developed during the Sixties with a strong presence of low-cost and residential housing, but kept, nevertheless, important historical buildings. A remarkable one is the Palazzetta, a villa in Rombon Road, dating back to the second half of the seventeenth century and which has been carefully renovated, preserving all of its original architecture. The villa is also known as Garibaldina. The next stage of our tour is the fairly recent Feltre district (1958-59), which has an unusual appearance due to the abundance of greenery and the use of baked brick on the outside of the buildings which make it seem like an extension to the nearby would-be Lambro Park. The district of Lambrate, in the East North-East zone of Milan has very ancient origins. The oldest reference we can find is in the Natural History of Pliny the Elder dating back to the 1st century B.C. In his work, Pliny speaks about the river Lambrus or Lamprus, with a precise reference to its clear and limpid waters. The name of the village Lambrate descends directly from the name of the river. Built on a fertile plain with an abundance of water, right from the start the village was a popular prey of the Gallic and later the Roman populations, whose settlements have been confirmed by many archaeological finds. Perfectly developed in the city on a surface area of more than 150 hectares, Lambro Park was established in the aftermath of World War II, bringing a stop to the deforestation and environmental decay from which the entire zone was suffering. Its environmental context has undergone considerable changes following the second world war. And, if initially the territory was a rural area, the urbanisation process of those years compromised its integrity, at least in part. Thanks to this, however, it has been possible to recover a natural environment and a landscape that is rich in historical and naturalistic values. Many grassy and woody areas belong to the elegant villas that were built during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. The rich heritage of industrial archaeology also remains intact and is only waiting to be revitalised. Only now is it really possible to say, after years of decay and fear, after an intense project to decontaminate the waters, that the Park has been slowly returned to its ancient splendours. References can be found to the ancient rural village of Ortica during the Vi and VII centuries, but more reliable historical references to the area can be found towards the end of the IX century when it can be recognised as the municipality of Cavriano. However, it is difficult to establish when its current name actually appeared. However, it is widely believed that it refers to the expanse of wild vegetation that stretched as far as the eye could see. And it can be linked to the expulsion of the inhabitants of Porta Nuova and Porta Orientale ordered by the emperor Red Beard (Barbarossa) in Milan, during the second half of 1100, which resulted in the presence of a large number of fugitives in this area. We must briefly mention the Milan Educational Institute for boys - "Martinitt", in Pitteri Street 56, now also the headquarters of the Museum of the Toy and the Child, that exhibits more than 1,500 splendidly made toys dated between 1700 and 1950. The building is located on the site where the Gunpowder Factory once stood and which was transferred outside town because of the risk of explosions and fire and also because of its need of sources of water to generate sufficient energy to power its machines. On 17th March 1825 the Gunpowder Factory closed, after a series of events and a history that dated back to the end of the sixteenth century. It was only after the First World War that people remembered it. The institution of Pio Ospizio Trivulzio and the Orphanages took over the whole area with the intention of building a new headquarters there for the Martinitt, to replace the very dilapidated one of Saint Peter in Gessate. The first brick was laid in 1928 and the official inauguration, in the presence of Mussolini, took place on 26th October 1932.
