Casa degli Atellani

Casa degli Atellani stands in Milan, a fifteenth-century residence from the days of Ludovico il Moro, Duke of Milan. He gave the house to the Atellani family, his courtiers, and it became famous for the extravagant parties they hosted. Picture the Milanese elite gathered under this roof, exactly as the chroniclers of the time described. The house changed owners many times over the centuries before the Conti family bought it early in the twentieth century.

Ettore Conti, a prominent figure in Italy's electrical industry, commissioned the architect Piero Portaluppi to restore it in 1922. His restoration joined the original Renaissance elements to modern design and brought frescoes back into the light. Fourteen lunettes depict the Sforza family in fresco. Bernardino Luini, a pupil of Leonardo da Vinci, is named as their author. Portaluppi also redesigned the facade with medallions sculpted by Pompeo Marchesi and laid out a neobaroque garden on the grounds.

That garden holds the Vigna di Leonardo, the vineyard the Duke of Milan gave to Leonardo da Vinci himself. Researchers identified the grape as Malvasia di Candia, and meticulous replanting has brought the vines back. Inside, the Sala dello Zodiaco shows the same blend of old and new. It holds fourteen lunettes, two more than the zodiac has signs, and the inscriptions nod to the Conti family. Ettore Conti's study overlooks the vines, its wood panelling and heraldic symbols celebrating the union of Cristina of Denmark and Francesco Sforza.