Casa degli Atellani, Milan

Casa degli Atellani is a historic Milanese palace linked to Ludovico Sforza, Duke of Milan, and the surviving trace of the old Borgo delle Grazie. Its Renaissance architecture was substantially reshaped in 1922 by architect Piero Portaluppi, who also recovered parts of the earlier fresco decoration. Look at the façade’s sculpted medallions, then take in the courtyard’s painted remnants and its umbrella-shaped portico ceilings.

The house became famous for the celebrations held by the Atellani family, who received it from the duke after he bought the residence in 1490. In the garden, Portaluppi’s restoration includes a re-established vineyard connected with Leonardo da Vinci: research identified its surviving grape variety as Malvasia of Candia. Inside, the Zodiac Room brings together ancient material and later intervention, while Ettore Conti’s study contains an inlaid fireplace surround with heraldic emblems and walls lined with an extensive library. The result is a palace where courtly history, Renaissance decoration, and twentieth-century restoration remain visibly intertwined.