Short description:

Milan and Lombardy have played an important role in the Italian country since the Roman period. This importance is reflected also by the diffusion of stone architecture: a persisting trait of Milan architecture was the use of different stones in the same building.

Long description:

Milan and Lombardy have played an important role in the Italian country since the Roman period. This importance is reflected also by the diffusion of stone architecture: a persisting trait of Milan architecture was the use of different stones in the same building. Milan lies in the middle of the alluvial plain of the Po, far from the stone quarries; some waterways were dug out in order to supply the building stones from the surrounding territories.

The study of stone as building material was significant at the end of 19th century, but then it was largely neglected by both architects and geologists. So it is significant to suggest a study about the stones employed to build in Milan (Part One) in relationship with a petrographic study about the features of the stones quarried in the whole Lombard territory (Part Two).

Part One contains a record of Milanese edifices, edifices marking the different historical periods. Each edifice is described in a "card" containing: the building history, the architect, the kind of stone employed and subdivided according to the different parts of the building, the shape of stone elements. Part Two contains the description of the features of the stones reported in the first part. They are metamorphic and magmatic rocks of the Alpine area; sedimentary rocks and loose materials of the Prealpine area; sedimentary rocks of the Apennine area; loose sediments of the Padania plain. Some stones, coming from other northern Italian regions, and used in Lombard architecture, are also described. Each stone is described in a "card" containing: commercial and historical names, petrographic classification, macroscopic features, mineralogical composition, microscopic features, geological setting, quarry sites, transport to yards, morphology of dressed elements and surface handworking, use in architecture in the whole Lombard territory and abroad, decay morphologies. A particular investigation is addressed to the stones used during the 20th century, a great part of them was never used before in Milan and in Lombardy.

Table of Contents:

Volume 1. 1. Stone architecture in Milan. 2. From piazza Duomo to piazza Fontana. 3. From piazza della Scala to piazza San Babila. 4. From Ca? Granda to piazza Missori. 5. From Carrobio to Cordusio and piazza Affari. 6. From via Broletto to corso Garibaldi and Brera. 7. From via Manzoni to corso Venezia. 8. From Porta Vittoria to Porta Romana. 9. From corso Italia to Porta Ticinese. 10. Sant?Ambrogio and surroundings. 11. From via Dante to piazza Castello and corso Sempione. 12. North-west Sector. 13. North-east Sector. 14. East Sector. 15. South Sector. 16. West Sector. Volume 2. 1. Geology of Lombardy. 2. Stone quarrying, transporting and dressing in Milan and Lombardy. 3. Decay phenomena on building stones of Lombardy. 4. Stones from the province of Bergamo. 5. Stones from province of Brescia. 6. Stones of the province of Como and Lecco. 7. Stone from province of Pavia. 8. Stones from province of Sondrio. 9. Stones from the province of Varese. 10. Stones from Verbano-Cusio-Ossola. 11. Stones from Apulia. 12. Stones from Piedmont. 13. Stones of Friuli Venezia-Giulia. 14. Stones from Latium. 15. Stones from Liguria. 16. Stones of Trentino-Alto Adige. 17. Stones from the region Toscana. 18. Stones from Veneto. 19. Stones from Europe. 20. Coloured marbles (opus sectile, inlay). 21. Mortar and plaster. 22. Brick and Artificial stone. 23. Masonry. 24. Pavements. 25. Church Altars. 26. Monuments. 27. Funeral Chapels of Cimitero Monumentale. 28. Atlas of stones and their textures.