Casa Manzoni

Casa Manzoni is a palace located in Via Gerolamo Morone, in Milan, famous for beeing the home of the writer Alessandro Manzoni from 1814 to his death.

Alessandro Manzoni was an Italian writer, poet and playwright, who is considered one of the greatest Italian novelists of all time for his famous novel The Betrothed, the cornerstone of the Italian literature.

SHORT HISTORY

In 1813, three years after Alessandro Manzoni returned to Milan, together with his wife Enrichetta Blondel and his mother Giulia Beccaria, after a five-year experience in Paris, he bought a new house in Via Morone. Manzoni moved to his new home a few months later, starting a series of modernization works, including the reconstruction of the facade oriented towards Piazza Belgioioso.

The current appearance of the facade is owed to the architect Andrea Boni, who, in 1864, at the request of Manzoni, rebuilt the palace in Neo-Renaissance style. The facade, inspired by the Lombard Renaissance architecture, is composed of elaborate terracotta decorations. Above all, the portal and the balcony stand out.

Until a few years ago, the Lombard Historical Society and the National Center of Manzoni Studies were housed in the building, on the ground floor. Thanks to the second, the interiors of the time are preserved, in particular the study and Manzoni’s room. Today, the palace hosts the Manzoni Museum.

During the last years of the writer’s life, the palace hosted Cavour, Giuseppe Garibaldi and Giuseppe Verdi, who came to pay homage to him.

HOW TO GET THERE

The palace is located about 300 meters away from Teatro alla Scalla and about 450 meters away from the Cathedral of Milan.

The closest tram stop is Teatro alla Scala, located about 260 meters away, on the tram Line 1. The closest Metro station is Duomo, located about 500 meters away, on the Metro Lines M1 and M3. To find the palace on foot, use the map below.