Restauro dei monumenti e ricostruzione urbanistica nella Milano del secondo dopoguerra. L’ex palazzo dei Tribunali in piazza Beccaria e l’ex chiesa di San Giovanni in Conca in piazza Missori.

The contribution examines a specific case of intervention in the city centre of Milan after the destruction caused by World War II: the building of a new road around the core of the city, inside the circle of the ‘Navigli’ (a ring shaped water canal). By linking the east side to the west side of the city, the traffic, which at that time was crossing over Duomo square, was redirected and moved away from the center of town. The design of the arterial road, called ‘Racchetta’ for its shape which resembled a racket, had indeed been an idea belonging to several town plans designed for Milan since beforethe twenties of the twentieth century, especially the Cesare Albertini town plan, published in 1934. The building of the road began only after World War II. Only half of this ring-like road linking piazza San Babila to the Foro Bonaparte was accomplished, specifically the part going from piazza S. Babila, by via Larga and via Albricci to Piazza Missori. As we can still see today, along this road urban landscaping is defined by tall, modern buildings which were built in the 1950’s-60’s by famous Milanese architects (Ludovico Magistretti, Luigi Caccia Dominioni, Mario Asnago e Claudio Vender, etc.). This study it intends to examine if, and in which way, the town-planning debate considered the question of the conservation of monuments and squares cut by the ‘Racchetta’. In particular, the former Court Palace in Beccaria square and the former church of San Giovanni in Conca Missori place, are an interesting example where town planning and restoration of monuments are closely related and so mutually conditioned. Contribution is situated in the context of a recent reinterpretation of the events related to urban reconstruction and monuments restoration in Italy after the Second World War. It reveals a sort of discontinuity of interest in the history of restoration - from the Sixties of the XXth century up to reent times – towards a season which determined substantially the matrix of the urban and territorial development with which we have to deal today. In this sense, the paper, in addition to renewing and methodologically deepening the study of that period – with particular reference to the reconstruction in Milan – may offer an opportunity to reflect on disciplinary matters in these days, that pertain to the themes of intervention on the historic fabric of the city and of the territory transformation.