Palazzo Borromeo

The Borromeo family in Milan

The Borromei initially lived in San Miniato, outside Florence, but when the head of the family, Filippo, was executed after a battle between San Miniato and Florence in 1370, his wife and five children fled. Sons Borromeo and Giovanni went to Milan, where they founded a bank, while others went into banking in Venice and Florence. At that time, Gian Galeazzo Visconti, duke of Milan from 1351 to 1402, was establishing relationships with a number of Tuscan merchant families to improve the finances of the duchy. With their business contacts throughout Italy, Spain, and northern Europe, the Borromei were of great use to the dukes of Milan.

The first generation of Borromeo bankers in Milan named as their heir the son of their sister, Margherita, who had married into the distinguished Vitaliano family of Padua. This nephew, Vitaliano Vitaliani (c. 1390-1449), became a Milanese citizen in 1416 and, at the death of his uncle Giovanni in 1431, took over the business and added the Borromeo name to his own. He was very successful in his mercantile and banking affairs and also served Duke Filippo Maria Visconti (ruled 1412-47) as state treasurer and counselor; for this, he was awarded the title of Count of Arona in 1445 and was given a large amount of property outside Milan; the family at one time possessed the entire area around Lago Maggiore.

When Francesco Sforza, son-in-law of Filippo Maria Visconti, became duke of Milan in 1450, Vitaliano's son, Filippo, continued to serve the ducal family, and Francesco named him count of Peschiera. The Borromeo businesses also flourished: Filippo opened branches in Bruges, London, and Barcelona. The wealth and success of the Borromei continued throughout the centuries. They also provided the church with seven cardinals, including Charles (canonized in 1610) and Federico. In the 18th century, Count Carlo (1657-1734) added Arese, from his maternal line, to the family name. In 1916 they were created princes of Angera by King Victor Emmanuel III of Italy, a title still held by the head of the Borromeo Arese family.

The Casa Borromeo

The earliest section of the house was built in the later 14th century, soon after the Borromei arrived in Milan, to serve as both residence and place of business. On its plain brick walls, between the modern windows, the facade on piazza Borromeo still shows evidence of the original windows and doors, which were of various sizes and shapes and placed haphazardly according to where light and access were needed inside the building. Later visitors were surprised at the humble appearance of the home of such a wealthy and illustrious family. In medieval and Renaissance Milan, however, prestige was calculated by a family's age and service to the city, not by its wealth or rank – the older a family, the humbler its beginnings. The more prominent citizens referred to themselves only as patrizi (patricians), not nobility, and conspicuous consumption was frowned upon. The unremarkable exteriors of houses gave no clue to the status of the inhabitants. In fact, until the 18th century, the term "palace" was only given to homes of rulers or government buildings; all others, large or small, were called case (houses). The Borromei fit easily into this culture, and the "Casa Borromeo" (Borromeo House) blended perfectly into the city. …

Santa Maria Podone

The Casa Borromeo stands across the piazza from the church of Santa Maria Podone, whose history is bound up with that of the Borromei. Founded in 871, the building was remodeled and extended after the family was given the patronage of the church in 1442. Architects of the Solari family added a large chapel for the Borromei on the right side of the church, now the Chapel of the Holy Family. In 1495/1500, sculptor Cristoforo Luvoni carved a lunette over the main door of the church depicting the Virgin and Child between father and son, Vitaliano and Filippo. A new facade built in 1626-30 by Fabio Mangone prominently featured the "Humilitas" motto with the count's coronet above the main portico. In 2012, the church was granted to the Orthodox Church of Italy.

To the right of the church's entrance, a copper statue of 1691 by Dionigi Bussola depicts Saint Charles Borromeo (1538-1584), Cardinal-Archbishop of Milan, the most famous and revered member of the family.