Palazzo Carminati

About Palazzo Carminati

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What people say

Wiktoria Górska-Kijanka
"Palazzo Carminati, also known as Carminati Palace, is located on the west side of Piazza del Duomo, facing Milan Cathedral. Built in the late 1860s for the prominent Milanese silver manufacturer Giacomo Cesati, the palace is named after the famous Café Carminati. In the 20th century, the palace became a Milanese landmark and a symbol of the city's economic growth due to its large, colourful neon advertising signs. The facade, adorned with these signs from the 1920s onwards, was compared to New York City's Broadway and Times Square or London's Piccadilly Circus. The vibrant advertisements, particularly prominent in the 1960s and 1970s, also made the palace widely recognisable across Italy through its appearances in films and TV, including ads for Cynar liquor. In 1999, Milan's mayor Gabriele Albertini removed the signs as part of a campaign to restore the plaza's "dignity." This decision has since faced considerable criticism. "

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