«Building in this city has led to fanaticism». The urban changes of Milan in the Theresian period

Abstract

The paper deals with the remarkable changes that Milan underwent in his forma urbis during the Theresian age. The first part presents shortly the urbanistic and economic situation of Milan in the middle of the 18th century. The second part refers to the urbanistic changes of Milan in the second half of the 18th century and to the main actors of this transformation: the archduke Ferdinando and the Royal architect Piermarini, on one side, and the local nobility, on the other. The final part considers the economic consequences of such interventions.