Palazzo Beltrami

Palazzo Beltrami stands at number 3 Piazza della Scala in Milan. The Teatro alla Scala and the town hall, Palazzo Marino, sit close by. Luca Beltrami designed the palazzo, and construction ran from 1918 to 1927. The site had a predecessor: the Casa Brambilla, nicknamed Casa Rossa for its terracotta decoration, came down to make room. The building that replaced it is a work of eclectic architecture, combining elements from several periods and artistic movements.

From the square, the facade falls into three orders across four storeys. At street level, rustic ashlar gives the base a robust, grounded look. Above it comes the piano nobile, the noble floor, marked by large windows under curved pediments. A central balcony breaks the window line and adds a note of elegance. The palazzo later served as the headquarters of Banca Commerciale Italiana. Today the building forms part of the Gallerie d'Italia, which shows art collections from the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.

Save a glance for the top: the third order carries a frieze on eclectic themes, set with sculpted faces. Critics have praised that upper band for its proportioned design, and it repays a slow look upward.