Palace in Milan, Italy
Palazzo Recalcati (also known as Palazzo Litta Recalcati Prinetti) is a 16th-century palace in Milan (Italy), enlarged between the 17th and 18th centuries. Historically belonging to the district of Porta Ticinese, it is located in Via Amedei 8.
History and description
The building has a historic inner body dating from the 16th century, enlarged between the 17th and 18th centuries with the addition of an enclosed building on Via Amedei by the Roman Giovanni Ruggeri.[1] Of the more historic center, the courtyard of honor survives today, with a portico on four sides (characterized by columns with terracotta lintels and roundels on the spandrels).
The later addition gave rise to a second courtyard, connected to the inner courtyard by a loggia with six columns. Inside, a fine staircase with a wrought-iron parapet leads to the main floor, where the master's flats were located, adorned with stucco and wall decorations. The eighteenth-century façade was originally built in rough brick and later plastered; access to the building is provided by an elegant arched doorway, surmounted by a fine wrought-iron Baroque balcony. At the end of the 18th century, the coats of arms on the terracotta medallions in the spandrels of the arches were lost, chiseled away by the partisans of the Cisalpine Republic. The hanging capitals, on the other hand, according to Paolo Mezzanotte,[2] bear a strong resemblance to those removed from the great cloister of the Monastery of Santa Maria del Lentasio.
In the early 18th century, the palace belonged to the Litta family and later passed to the Recalcati and Prinetti families. Even at the beginning of the 19th century, there was news of the vast gardens that extended behind the palace which have since been lost. The palace was restored during the post-war period.
