Palazzo Mezzanotte

Palazzo Mezzanotte, located in Piazza degli Affari in Milan, is a masterpiece of 20th-century architecture, designed by architect Paolo Mezzanotte and built between 1929 and 1932. Commissioned by the Chamber of Commerce of Milan, the building was intended to unify all the city’s stock exchange activities, thus centralizing the financial heart of Milan in one building. The inauguration of the palace took place in October 1932 and was celebrated as a major event marking a new era for Italian finance. The monumental facade of the building, 36 meters high and made of travertine marble blocks, is characterized by a rationalist style typical of the time, with sculptures depicting the four natural elements, the work of artists Leone Lodi and Geminiano Cibau. These sculptures symbolize the sources of economic wealth, integrating art and function in a harmonious combination.The interior of the palace is equally fascinating. The trading floor, where stock market transactions took place by open outcry, is illuminated by a large glass canopy depicting the celestial vault and its constellations, designed by Gio Ponti. This detail not only enriches the aesthetics of the room, but also emphasizes the importance of astronomy and calculation in finance.During the construction of the palace, the remains of the Roman theater of Milan were discovered, an important archaeological testimony that caused delays in the work. Today, a marble plaque on the side of the building shows the layout of the theater ruins, which are visible in the basement of the palace, thus integrating ancient history with modern history.Palazzo Mezzanotte was a cutting-edge building for its time, equipped with an air conditioning system operating with water and steam and the largest electric light panel in Italy, which allowed the real-time viewing of stock prices admitted to the Milan Stock Exchange. This display system was a technological innovation that facilitated stock market operations, making Milan a modern and competitive financial center internationally.Since the 1990s, with the advent of digitalization, stock market trading has shifted from open outcry to electronic trading, leading to a gradual abandonment of the “trading floor”. Today, the historic trading floor has been transformed into a conference center, still maintaining the charm and grandeur of the original architecture.The palace also houses various exhibition and cultural spaces, such as the conference center and the Palazzo Mezzanotte Congress & Training Centre, which offers a wide range of services for events and training. These spaces are used for conferences, exhibitions, and meetings, keeping the role of the palace as the hub of Milan’s economic and cultural activity alive.The history of Palazzo Mezzanotte is closely linked to the city’s economic and social transformations. The building has witnessed periods of great development and innovation, but also difficult moments such as the bombings of World War II, which caused significant damage. Nevertheless, the palace was quickly restored, thanks to the intervention of the Ministry of Communications, which used ancient drawings and plans to restore the building to its original splendor.