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This is the biggest private garden in the centre of Milan, stretching on some 5 acres and including three internal courtyards with a big English style park, located between via del Conservatorio and via Corridoni. The entrance is on via della Passione and the garden is encircled by high protection walls.

The palace has housed the “Educandato Statale Setti Carraro Dalla Chiesa” since 186.
The Palace was built by Count Giuseppe Archinto, who chose architect Gaetano Besa for creating a late neo-classical building between 1833 and 1837. The construction was never fully completed, as indoor the building features a never-ending series of opulent and huge spaces, decorated with stuccos, mosaics and fresco, as well as some service rooms never finished.

In 1864, the Palace became state property and later it served as the seat of the Royal College of the Girls, wanted by Napoleon; during the First World War, it was a hospital for the wounded soldiers, and then became a temporary seat of the State University.

The park is basically a large English garden; where a central pond used to be, now there’s a large green area, while yews were planted on the western hill, right where a pool with roses had been originally built.

An old beech tree, covered with mushrooms and moss, dominates the centre of the garden; thickets of other plants are practically everywhere. There are three other green areas: to the west near the refectory, were the old stables used to be, there’s a garden attended by students; to the east, there’s the courtyard of the roses – a space dedicated to the children; finally, there’s the courtyard of honour with the statue of Napoleon dressed as a Roman emperor, in the centre.

Photo source: https://www.villegiardini.it/giornate-fai-primavera-eventi-lombardia/

This post is also available in: Italiano (Italian)