Casa Panigarola, Milan

The Panigarola family were notaries from Gallarate who worked in Milan from 1351 onwards, responsible for recording and transcribing ducal decrees. The Casa Panigarola, now owned by Assicurazioni Generali, is currently a building with squat pointed arches and terracotta frames decorated with foliage. The façade, which covers a pre-existing structure, was designed by Giovanni Solari in 1466. The building underwent several alterations until 1809 when, based on a design by Pietro Gilardoni, it was raised by one floor. The façade was then restored in 1899 by Luca Beltrami, who added the single-lancet window on the upper floor. The surface is bordered by a terracotta frieze with ogival windows and features rich decoration. The last intervention, which gave the façade its current appearance, was carried out by architect Antonio Cassi Ramelli in 1967. He attempted to restore uniformity to the façade by removing the 19th-century extension, which he considered inconsistent from a visual point of view, and removing the infill panels in the arches on the ground floor.