The same architect, the same year, three streets away from Casa Galimberti — but here the line is German, not Italian.
At a glance
Casa Alessio stands at Via Lamberto De Bernardi 1, in the Porta Venezia quarter that holds the densest concentration of Liberty building in Milan. It was designed in 1905 by Giovanni Battista Bossi, in the same year in which he finished Casa Galimberti a few streets away.
History
Bossi (1864–1924) built the three houses that define Liberty Porta Venezia within a very short span: Casa Bossi in Viale Piave in 1904, Casa Guazzoni in Via Malpighi between 1904 and 1906, Casa Galimberti at the corner of Via Malpighi and Via Sirtori in 1905. Casa Alessio belongs to the same campaign. The quarter was then new ground, opened up by the demolition of the Spanish walls, and the buyers were professional and merchant families willing to pay for a facade that announced the century had changed.
What you see
Unlike the exuberant ceramic fronts Bossi built in Via Malpighi, this one takes its cue from the Jugendstil of the German-speaking world. The central bay is drawn with sinuous but austere lines; its tall windows alternate curved and straight heads and carry inset masks and plant motifs. Guides to the quarter single out two of those masks: a male face above the entrance, built up from fruit and foliage in the manner of Arcimboldo, and a female one on the first floor. The side bays are quieter, with cement window surrounds of standard Liberty design and wrought iron on the balconies.
Cultural significance
Milanese Liberty is usually described as a choice between the Franco-Belgian floral line and the Viennese geometric one. Casa Alessio adds the third source, the German, and shows that a single architect could work in more than one register within twelve months. Read alongside Casa Galimberti it is the clearest available demonstration of how wide the style’s vocabulary actually was.
Key facts
- Architect: Giovanni Battista Bossi
- Built: 1905
- Style: Milanese Liberty influenced by German Jugendstil
- Decoration: inset masks, plant motifs in cement, wrought-iron balconies
- Address: Via Lamberto De Bernardi 1, Milan
- Coordinates: 45.4708 N, 9.2053 E
Practical information & getting there
Metro M1 Porta Venezia or Lima, five minutes on foot. The building is a private apartment block, so the facade is the visit. Casa Galimberti and Casa Guazzoni are both within ten minutes, which makes this the natural third stop on a Bossi circuit.
Sources & resources
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