The "District of Silence"in Milan
Not far from the historic center of Milan, after passing through the Avenue of Venice, you can discover a very special area, different from the rest of the city: “Il Quadrilatero del Silenzio” (the District of Silence).
It is an area built between the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries in Liberty style. As also happened in other European cities, this area is located in what then were considered to be the outskirts (though now it is rather central), because of lack of enough space downtown to build these magnificent buildings.
The bourgeoisie that emerged in the wave of the European industrial revolution, was eager for new architectural styles. It wanted to build their houses in this new fashionable trend, which reflected a relationship between the rapidly developing technique and the decorative arts.
The Milanese Liberty style shares decorative elements and characteristics with other cities such as Turin. But it also has its own differentiating characteristics.
This area has received the unusual name of "Quadrilatero del Silenzio" (The District of Silence) because, even being close to a large avenue, here you can breathe a calm and majestic atmosphere amid elegant buildings of the early twentieth century.
You can also find some exotic surprises; as example in Villa Invernizzi you will discover a house with pink flamingos walking quietly through the courtyard.
Another curiosity is the “House of the Ear”; Years ago these ears were placed at the entrance of the house so that the visitors could talk to the guardian through them (a precursor to today’s entryphone).
Here it is also possible to visit historic private palaces, with interesting pieces of period furniture, as part of the route of the "houses-museum".
A walk through the "Quadrilatero del Silenzio”, after a tour of the center of Milan, allows travelers to experience the special atmosphere of "another" Milan, and appreciate this unique neighborhood with so much history.
