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Coperto dei Figini

Buildings and structures demolished in the 1860sBuildings and structures in MilanDemolished buildings and structures in ItalyHistory of Milan
Milano Piazza Duomo verso il 1860, prima delle demolizioni
Milano Piazza Duomo verso il 1860, prima delle demolizioni

The Coperto dei Figini was a Renaissance porticated building located in what is now Piazza del Duomo, the central square in Milan, Italy. The construction began in 1467 on a design by architect Guiniforte Solari (from the Veneranda Fabbrica del Duomo di Milano), ordered by Pietro Figino. The building, located on the north-western side of the piazza, was a popular meeting place for the Milanese people for over 400 years; it housed several shops that sold such drinks as the turbolin (boiled and filtered coffee), chocolate, barbajada, orgeat syrup, and more. Many of these shops evolved into cafes when the first such establishments appeared in Milan; for example, one of the historic Caffé Campari in Milan was located there.The Coperto was ordered for demolition in the early 19th century (and actually demolished in the 1860s), as a consequence of the major redesign of the piazza. Painter Angelo Inganni has left a few drawings depicting the Coperto a few years before being demolished, and some photographs have also been preserved.

Excerpt from the Wikipedia article Coperto dei Figini (License: CC BY-SA 3.0, Authors, Images).

Coperto dei Figini
1_33051, Milan Municipio 1

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N 45.4645 ° E 9.1898 °
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1_33051
20122 Milan, Municipio 1
Lombardy, Italy
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Milano Piazza Duomo verso il 1860, prima delle demolizioni
Milano Piazza Duomo verso il 1860, prima delle demolizioni
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Rebecchino
Rebecchino

The Rebecchino was a historic neighborhood of Milan, Italy, located in the immediate surroundings of Milan's Cathedral, in what is now Piazza del Duomo. The neighborhood was demolished in the second half of the 19th century to allow for the thorough redesign of the piazza that led to its modern, monumental layout. Reportedly, the Rebecchino was named after an eponymous inn, dating back to the 16th century, which in turn took its name from the fact that its sign had a rebec on it. This inn was so well known that the word "rebecchino" (also spelled "rebechino") eventually came to mean "cheap hotel" per antonomasia.The first plans to demolish the Rebecchino date back to the Napoleonic rule of Milan, in the 18th century, when the modern Piazza del Duomo began to take shape. While the Cathedral and the surrounding piazza were supposed to become a symbol of the wealth of Milan, the Rebecchino clashed with this vision, as it was a chaotic agglomerate of old, decayed buildings; its narrow streets were populated by thieves and other evil-doers that would prey on the pilgrims visiting the Cathedral. The order for the demolition of the Rebecchino, along with that of the Coperto dei Figini (a portico dating back to the Renaissance, also in the area of the Cathedral) was formalized in 1810, but quarrels followed, and the neighborhood survived for several decades, somewhat like "an island" in the middle of the developing plaza. The area was eventually cleared on the occasion of German Emperor William I visiting Milan in 1875.