Palazzo Turati, Milan (exterior)

Built to a design by Eng. E. Combi between 1873 and 1876 on behalf of Ernesto Turati, the building, located in the historic center of Milan at Via Meravigli, 7, underwent the addition of an extra floor in the 1920s and further significant modifications in the mid-1990s. Today, it houses the Chamber of Commerce of Milan. Only the monumental staircase leading to the noble floor and three rooms on the first floor—decorated with paintings by Giuseppe Bertini and Mosè Bianchi and sculptures by Ludovico Pogliaghi—remain intact. The building suffered extensive damage from bombings during World War II, between 1942 and 1944. The main façade, overlooking Via Meravigli, is marked by a rhythmic sequence of arches on the ground floor and windows framed by portals on the upper floors. The entire frontage along Via Meravigli features rusticated sieniteelements on the ground floor and smoother masonry on the upper floors. The palace at Via Meravigli 7 was officially designated as a protected building in 1986.