Italian Commercial Bank Palace

Italian Commercial Bank Palace is a historic building of Milan, located in Piazza della Scala, in the city centre. It was designed by architect Luca Beltrami in the early 20th century for Banca Commerciale Italiana, and it is still in use as a seat of the company. Since 2011 it hosts the Gallerie di Piazza Scala where are exposed many artworks from the collections of Fondazione Cariplo. nDespite the popularity of Art Nouveau in the Milanese architecture of the early 20th century, Beltrami chose to base his design on the neoclassical style. The main element of the marble facade is the central pediment, with its large columns. The interior of the building (which is still partially preserved), was also decorated in neoclassical style. The design also included an underground store, mainly used for safe boxes; some of the original safes, in cast iron, are preserved.