Piazza Cordusio
Piazza Cordusio is a square in central Milan, Italy. The piazza takes its name from the Cors Ducis which was located on the square during Longobard times. It is well known for its several turn-of-the-19th-century Neoclassical, eclectic and Art Nouveau buildings, banks and post offices. Even though many of these have now relocated elsewhere, it is still an important commercial square in the city and hosts the Palazzo delle Assicurazioni Generali, the Palazzo del Credito Italiano and the Palazzo delle Poste, former Borsa di Milano. Piazzale Cordusio hosts the Cordusio metro station and is the starting point of the elegant pedestrian Via Dante which leads to the imposing medieval Castello Sforzesco, or Milan Castle. Opposite to Via Dante, Cordusio borders onto Piazza Mercanti, former city centre in the Middle Ages, which leads directly to Piazza del Duomo, today's city centre.
Notable buildings
- Palazzo delle [Assicurazioni Generali (Milan)|Palazzo delle Assicurazioni Generali] : main building in the square, designed by Luca Beltrami. It housed the main headquarters of the mega-finance corporation Assicurazioni Generali. It has a small tower with a dome.
- Palazzo del Credito Italiano : a semi-circular eclectic building, was designed by Luigi Broggi.
- Palazzo Broggi, or Palazzo delle Poste : Another semi-circular building similar in style to that of the Credito Italiano, and also designed by Luigi Broggi and completed in 1901. It was the old stock exchange of Milan, until it was transferred to the more modern Palazzo Mezzanotte in Piazza Affari. After having hosted the main post office in Milan, currently it hosts the first Starbucks Reserve Roastery in Europe.
- Casa Broggi : eclectic building at intersection of Via Dante and Meravigli, designed by Luigi Broggi and a young Giuseppe Sommaruga. While the base has a rusticated simplicity, upper levels become more decorative.