Palazzo dei Giureconsulti, Milan

The Palazzo dei Giureconsulti was commissioned by Pope Pius IV to host the Collegium of the Noble Doctors, who were responsible for the administration of the city. Construction began in 1562, based on a design by Vincenzo Seregni, incorporating the 13th-century tower of Napo Torriani, which had become a civic tower. The new building completely enclosed one of the four sides of Piazza dei Mercanti, at the center of which still stands the Palazzo della Ragione. The original architectural composition, entirely executed in brick, remains largely visible today, although it was modified in later renovations. The loggia, with paired columns, sits above a row of windows crowned by double volutes within a Hermes motif, supporting a cornice with richly detailed moldings and reliefs reminiscent of Palazzo Marino. The palace was heavily damaged during the 1943 bombings and underwent an initial major restoration shortly afterward. A second intervention, designed by Gianni Mezzanotte, was launched by the Chamber of Commerce in 1983, involving significant functional and monumental recovery. Upon completion in 1991, the building was named Palazzo Affari ai Giureconsulti. It currently serves as the Congress Centre of the Chamber of Commerce, Crafts, and Agriculture of Milan.