Palazzo Venezia, Milan

The building, owned by Assicurazioni Generali, was constructed between 1897 and 1901 based on a design by Luca Beltrami. The building was to be used partly as the company's headquarters (life insurance, fire insurance, transport insurance, hail insurance and workplace accident insurance) and partly for shops, commercial offices and residences.
The façade overlooking Piazza Cordusio, which is one of the defining features of the entire square, required the creation of an architectural motif that would justify raising the building to give it the monumental character needed to distinguish it from a simple residential building.
All three façades were built in Ceppo Gentile stone, while Valmasino Serizzo stone, which is more resistant to deterioration, was used for the 1.70 m wide base. Viggiù stone was used to decorate the central niche, where greater clarity of the profiles was required.
From an urban planning perspective, the most significant intervention was the demolition in 1962 of the former Guenzati building on Via Mercanti and the subsequent construction of the building designed by architect Antonio Cassi Ramelli, also for Generali, between 1963 and 1964.