This
building is in a square that is well worth a visit, because it is one of the few
locations in Milan that reflects a single historical period, in this case the
1930s. It was designed in 1932 by architect Paolo Mezzanotte in order to provide
premises capable of housing the various exchanges – shares and commodities –
that up until then had operated separately all over the city. Piazza Affari is
lined on all sides by buildings from that period, and while the other
constructions are in the restrained “rationalist” style, Palazzo Mezzanotte
reflects the Fascist regime’s fascination for Imperial Rome, with giant columns
and massive sculptures depicting the “Four Elements” that were an allegorical
reference to economic wealth. The façade is in travertine, while the sides of
the building are in travertine and brick. On the left-hand wall there is a
marble slab with a plan of the Ancient Roman theatre that was discovered during
construction. The architect succeeded in preserving the remains, which can be
seen under the glass slab floor that Laurence Bristow-Smith mentions in his
article. We should add that the building is normally closed to visits.
The building was state-of-the-art at the time, with automatic lifts, an
air-conditioning system powered by water and steam, and the largest electric
signboard in Italy, displaying the prices of the 78 equities quoted at the
Exchange.
Palazzo Mezzanotte was used for trading until 2002, when electronic trading took
over. The building is still the head office of Borsa Italiana S.p.A. – Italian
stock exchange – but its premises have been converted for congress and
conference functions. Borsa Italiana is actually now part of the London Stock
Exchange Group, Europe’s leading exchange group in cash equities. The
acquisition took place in 2007, in a €1.6 billion euro operation.
The Palazzo is sometimes opened to the public for concerts, and it is used for
events such as fashion shows, for example Milano Moda Donna, which takes place
from 23 February to 1 March 2011, attracting about 2,500 specialist journalists
and over 15,000 buyers. See back page for more on the fashion shows.
Henry Neuteboom