Palazzo Brivio Sforza

Palazzo Brivio Sforza stands at Via Olmetto 17 in Milan, presenting a sixteenth-century example of Milanese noble architecture. Its neoclassical façade combines a smooth rusticated ground floor with an elegant arched entrance. Above the doorway, the piano nobile balcony carries intricately moulded windows, while simpler frames mark the second floor.

Giacomo Moraglia reshaped the building through a major nineteenth-century restoration, giving its classical details their present character. Bombing during the Second World War caused extensive damage, and post-war work restored the palace while preserving its historic character. The surviving façade makes the building’s social hierarchy visible through changing window decoration and floor treatment.

The courtyard retains its original sixteenth-century arrangement, with a portico resting on Tuscan-order columns. The Brivio Sforza Foundation has used the palace since 2012 to support the heritage of the Brivio Sforza, Trivulzio, and Barbiano di Belgiojoso d’Este families. That quiet courtyard, framed by sturdy classical columns, offers the clearest view of the palace’s earliest architecture.