It began as the café of a wholesale vegetable market, survived the market itself, and in the 1970s became the theatre of Dario Fo.
At a glance
The Palazzina Liberty stands alone in the middle of Parco Vittorio Formentano, at Largo Marinai d’Italia. Designed in 1908 by the architect Alberto Migliorini and built by 1911, it was the refreshment pavilion of the Verziere, Milan’s wholesale fruit and vegetable market. It is the only structure of that complex still standing.
History
The Verziere operated on this site from 1911 to 1965. The pavilion held the café-restaurant where traders closed their deals. When the market moved elsewhere the building was left empty for years.
Between 1974 and 1980 the City granted its use to Dario Fo’s Collettivo teatrale La Comune, which adopted it as a theatre. In 1980 it became the seat of the Civic Band of Milan; restoration was completed in 1992 and the building was assigned to cultural and recreational uses. Since 1994 the Milano Classica chamber orchestra has held its concert season here; from 2005 to 2015 it also housed the Casa della Poesia. In October 2017 the Palazzina was formally named after Dario Fo and Franca Rame.
What you see
A single-storey pavilion on a central plan, with very large windows and an iron frame holding the glazing. The regional heritage record describes the alternation of materials typical of the period: ceppo gentile stone at the base, hammered cement with floral decoration, and brightly coloured ceramic tiles in the upper band, closed by a projecting eaves line and an attic. Inside, the big luminous hall is divided by square-section pillars carrying the same floral themes.
Cultural significance
Few buildings in Milan carry two histories as different as this one: the everyday commerce of the old vegetable market, and the political theatre of the 1970s. Its survival is accidental — everything around it was demolished — which makes it the last physical trace of the Verziere, a market that fed the city for half a century.
Key facts
- Architect: Alberto Migliorini (design 1908)
- Built: 1908–1911; later works by Luigi Caccia Dominioni; restoration by Piero De Amicis
- Original use: café-restaurant of the Verziere market (active 1911–1965)
- Theatre of Dario Fo’s Collettivo teatrale La Comune, 1974–1980
- Named after Dario Fo and Franca Rame in October 2017
- Address: Largo Marinai d’Italia, Parco Vittorio Formentano, Milan
- Coordinates: 45.4598 N, 9.2158 E
Practical information & getting there
Metro M4 Tricolore or tram lines to Largo Marinai d’Italia; the park is open daily and the building sits at its centre. The interior can be seen during concerts and public events — check the Milano Classica season for dates.
Sources & resources
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