Wasn’t Cascina Pozzobonelli once a thriving farmhouse? Standing before its remnants you can almost hear the echoes of its past. This magnificent structure built in 1492 by Donato Bramante was commissioned by Gian Giacomo Pozzobonelli a member of a prominent Milanese family. Imagine the bustling activity within its walls. The Pozzobonellis were deeply involved in Milanese affairs their influence stretching back to the 13th century. The Cascina Pozzobonelli wasn’t just any farmhouse. It served an ecclesiastical purpose one of several convents belonging to the Humiliati religious order a community popular in the late 1400s. Evidence of this can be seen in a triangular capital on the internal staircase. Sadly the Cascina Pozzobonelli met a slow decline. After the death of Archbishop Giuseppe Pozzobonelli in 1783 the building gradually fell into disrepair. Much of it was demolished in 1885 to make way for a new road. World War II dealt another blow. Bombings in 1943 caused the collapse of the portico although it was later restored. What remains today is a testament to its former glory. Look closely at the rectangular structure. The large terracotta-framed square windows are still visible. These frames are also found on the door leading to the chapel and on the west door. The chapel itself an octagonal dome with three exterior apses is decorated with saints. It is sadly decayed. The ornamental art on the connecting door is highly deteriorated. The Cascina Pozzobonelli sits on two half-buried crypts each containing eight vaults. Most were covered by wooden beams except for one with a lunette. This suggests a grander original design that was never fully realized. Despite the ruins its history whispers to us of a bygone era a vibrant center of faith and family life. Today the Cascina Pozzobonelli stands as a poignant reminder of Milan’s rich and layered past a symbol of a time when farmhouses held a place of significance within the urban fabric. Let its weathered stones tell a story of resilience and change.
Nuovo Cimitero di Cologno Monzese
“A timeless sanctuary,” the old woman whispered, her gaze fixed on the rows of marble within Nuovo Cimitero di Cologno