Verdi’s retirement home for musicians

[Guest post by Umberto Torricelli in Milan] On 14 October, our local chapter, Urban Sketchers Milano, visited Casa Verdi, which is a retirement home for elderly musicians. It was donated to the city of Milan by the composer Giuseppe Verdi, in the later part of his life, to house needy, retired musicians.

“Among my works, the one I like best is the home that I have built in Milan for accommodating old singers not favoured by fortune, or who, when they were young, did not possess the virtue of saving,” Verdi wrote in a letter to a friend. “The poor, dear companions of my lifetime! Believe me, my friend, that home is truly my most beautiful work.” Its first guests arrived in 1902, one year after Verdi’s death, because he didn’t want to be thanked while he was alive.

The building was designed by Camillo Boito, in close collaboration with Verdi. The composer and his wife, Giuseppina Strepponi, are buried in the crypt inside the courtyard of the house.

Casa Verdi has been maintained exactly as when it was built, except for a small museum with some of Verdi’s memorabilia.

Casa Verdi is a place with a magical atmosphere, and music is everywhere. There are, of course, many musical instruments such as pianos, harps, and an organ in the concert hall. Walking through the house or in the courtyard you can hear the sounds of pianos, violins or a soprano voice singing an aria.

Young scholarship holders also live there now, and they often play together with older guests in the great living room with its grand piano in the middle.

Umberto Torricelli is an architect and illustrator based in Milan, Italy, and a member of the Urban Sketchers Milano chapter. He was an instructor at the Chicago Urban Sketchers symposium. See more of his work on Facebook, Instagram and his website.