A walk of discovery
amongst art and antiques
What is it that makes antique shops so fascinating? Is it the fragrance of French polish on old wood surfaces? Or the detail and complexity of old objects that conjure up impressions of fine craftsmanship and the delight of excelling in a manual craft? Or perhaps the idea that these objects have already lived a long life and carry with them faint memories of the people who cherished and used them? Or perhaps it’s the hope of discovering something really valuable amongst a lot of unremarkable bric-a-brac.
In Milan, there are a fair number of opportunities for exploring antiques. A very popular monthly event is the antiques fair held on the canal, with open-air stalls selling all sorts of curios and antiques. In December it will be held on Sunday 18 December, on the canal named the Naviglio Grande, from Viale Gorizia to the bridge at Via Valenza. It’s close to Porta Genova metro station.
As regards the rest of the month, a stroll in the Porta Venezia district is well advised. Just as in the Middle Ages, craftsmen tended to group in the same street (which is why in Milan you can still find Via Spadari – swordmakers’ street, Via Armorari – armourers, Via Orefici – jewellers, and so forth), today the area around Via Pisacane numbers about thirty antique shops. The streets with the shops are principally Via Pisacane, Via Nino Bixio, Via Lambro, Via Gustavo Modena, and Piazza VIII Novembre. To reach the area, take the Metro to Porta Venezia, find Via Melzo, walk down this street for about 500 metres, and turn left into Via Nino Bixio. Here, on the corner with Via Poerio, is Pragma Arte, divided into two stores, one dedicated to furniture, paintings and objects dating from the 16th to the 19th centuries, and another concentrating on modern antiques, in other words 20th century items and more especially the Fifties and Sixties.
A few steps and you’re in Via Pisacane, where at number 40, there is “Quadrifoglio,” a classic antiques shop. At number 45, MVD specializes in antique lamps and objets d’art. Ruyi, at number 45, stocks antiques from China and other Far Eastern countries.
If you embark on this expedition in search of times past, you will enjoy Via Pisacane anyway, because it has some interesting examples of Art Nouveau architecture (or “Liberty” as it’s known in Italy). Art Nouveau developed as a reaction to academic architectural doctrines, and sought its inspiration from nature. Though it originally developed in Belgium, pioneered by Victor Horta, it rapidly spread throughout Europe. In Milan, it was enthusiastically adopted by the developing class of industrialists and traders, for whom entire districts were built in the new style.
The buildings at numbers 12, 16, 18/20, 22 and 24 of Via Pisacane are all worthy of a look, for their wrought iron balconies and cast concrete decoration. The house at number 18/20 is particularly original for the peacocks that frame the windows. Closer to the Porta Venezia metro station, there is a small street called Via Malpighi with two of the finest Liberty buildings in the city, at numbers 3 and 12. The former has a façade decorated with exuberant ceramic tiles depicting flowers, leaves and semi-naked women, while the balconies have fine wrought iron work. At number 12, the richness of decoration is attained by means of cast concrete sculpture and wrought iron balconies.
Opposite this building, on Via Melzo, on the corner with Via Frisi, there is another small Liberty building, built as a cinema, and now a public library. In Viale Piave, number 42, the Hotel Diana is another example of the Liberty style. Its bar, looking onto a lovely internal garden, is a favourite for the Milanese aperitifs ritual.
All these houses date to the first decade of the 20th century. Those in Via Pisacane offer a good example of the onset of industrialization in building, with series-manufactured elements used to produce an effect of prestige at minimum cost. The ornamentation on the most prestigious buildings was still hand-crafted, as can be seen on buildings closer to the city centre, such as those in Via Malpighi, and the iconic Palazzo Castiglioni at Corso Venezia 47. This superb building grows out of a ground floor treated to simulate rough-hewn rock, and culminates in swathes of vegetal sculpture and exuberant caryatids, with lots of elegant wrought iron.
Porta Venezia is also a great area for restaurants, with Italian, north African, Arabic, Chinese and Japanese cuisine all well represented. An example at the heart of the antiques district: Giannino Angolo d’Abruzzo, on Via Rosolino Pilo 20, where you can enjoy great down-to-earth Italian cuisine from the region of Abruzzo. Buon appetito!
N.H.