Palazzo della Questura

From a convent to a police headquarters. That’s the unusual journey of Palazzo della Questura. This grand building on Via Fatebenefratelli has a fascinating history. Let’s uncover it together. Palazzo della Questura wasn’t always a symbol of law and order. It started life in the late 16th century as part of a much larger complex. This complex extended all the way to Via Montebello, bordering the property of the Franciscan convent of S. Angelo. Over time, the palazzo served as a hospital and later a college. Imagine students roaming these halls, their minds buzzing with ideas. Then, in 1859, after the Second Italian War of Independence, the Questura di Milano was established. The palazzo became its home. The original archives of the Questura met a tragic end in 1943. Anglo-American air raids severely damaged the building, scattering and destroying precious historical documents. Before this disaster, the archives were housed in the Palazzo di San Fedele, alongside the State Archives. A 1912 document reveals the questura’s struggles with archive space. The questore, or police chief, highlighted the disorganization and lack of space. He warned that it compromised the “regular functioning of the Questura and the secrecy of the documents.” His proposal to move the cadastral archives to Via della Signora never materialized. After the bombing, Palazzo della Questura moved several times. First to Via Rovello, then to its current location on Via Fatebenefratelli in the former Collegio Longone building. There were plans to construct a new headquarters on Via Corridoni and later on Via Pagano, but these never came to fruition. So, since 1944, Palazzo della Questura has remained on Via Fatebenefratelli. Today, this grand building, with its neoclassical facade and Tuscan columns, plays a vital role in Milan. It houses various divisions of the police force. From fighting crime to managing immigration, the work within these walls touches every aspect of city life. Palazzo della Questura is more than just a building. It is a living testament to Milan’s resilience and ever-evolving story.