The story of a political diatribe

Via Case Rotte starts next to Palazzo Marino, which overlooks Piazza della Scala in Milan. It is a short and narrow street but until the mid-nineteenth century it was longer and reached Via Manzoni. The origin of the name dates back to the thirteenth century, when it referred to an area known as San Giovanni alle Case Rotte, from the church that stood here.

The name is linked to a diatribe between the Torriani and Visconti families who in the thirteenth century competed for primacy in the city. The Torriani had become lords of Milan in 1100 but their power bothered another patrician family, the Visconti. The troops of their respective families faced each other several times in battle but in the end it was the Viscounts who won.

The houses of the Torriani, which are said to have been surrounded by a large garden, were sacked and destroyed and the ruins, known as Guasti Torriani, were abandoned for years. On them were built the church of San Giovanni alle Case Rotte in 1390 and later, in 1557, also Palazzo Marino.