Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
The Golden Quad
Lined with global marques, Via Montenapoleone is the heart of the
Fashion Dis-
trict
. It follows the line of the old Roman wall and was once lined with small gro-
cers and haberdashers, which served the stately mansions. Look out for Palazzo
Melzi di Cusano, Palazzo Gavazzi and the
Museo Bagatti
Valsecchi
(
Click here
)
with their fabulous Renaissance home decor.
Villa Necchi-Campiglio
After the Great War, Milan's architects embraced the brave new world of modern-
ism, none more so than Piero Portaluppi, whose signature style of Art Deco and
Rationalist rigour is stamped all over town. A highlight is the
Villa Necchi Cam-
piglio
(
Click here
) with its terrarium, radical electronic shutters and Milan's first
domestic swimming pool.
Casa Galimberti
Tracing the eastern boundary of the Giardini Pubblici, Europe's first public park,
Corso Venezia is lined with neoclassical and Liberty-style palaces. The area
reached its fashionable zenith in the 1920s when Art Noveau was all the rage. On
Via Malpighi the
Galimberti house
(No 3) typifies the style with its exuberant
ceramic facade and twirling wrought-iron balconies.
Pirelloni
Adorned with winged horses, medallions and mosaic panelling, it is the largest
train station in Italy. In answer to its fanciful Art Deco formula, Giò Ponti's sleek
Torre Pirelli
(1955-60;
Click here
) stands opposite, shooting skywards with a
graceful, modern lightness.
