Milan
Begun in the 17th Century
This building was begun in 1648 by Francesco Maria Richini for the President of the Senate of Milan, Count Bartolomeo Arese, and it was later acquired by Dukes Litta Visconti Arese. The façade today is exactly as it was when it was built, between 1752 and 1763, by Francesco Bolli. Two wings and two floors frame the higher central volume with giant strip pilasters, with window surrounds and secondary portal alongside the main entrance. In 1873 it became the head office of a private rail company, and today it is a management office for the Italian State Railways. Inside, the courtyard with its colonnade leads to the monumental staircase with three ramps, designed by Carlo Giuseppe Merlo and dating to 1740. Worth visiting are the "Salotto Rosso", the "Sala degli Specchi" and the "Salotto della Duchessa", which conserve original 18th-century draperies, stuccoes and paintings by Martin Knoller and Giuseppe Agostino Gerli.
Feature of interest: The grotesque masks on the façade. Visiting times: 15.00-17.00, on request to the "Direzione Compartimentale delle Ferrovie dello Stato".
Admission 3pm-5pm Mon-Fri subject to the request of the head of the local department of the Italian Train Company.
| Neighborhood: | Downtown |
| Address: | Corso Magenta, 24 |
| Milan, 20123 |
| Nearest train: | MM1, MM2 Cadorna |