Casa Fontana-Silvestri, Renaissance palace on Corso Venezia, Milan, Italy

Casa Fontana-Silvestri is a palazzo at Corso Venezia 10 in Milan, built in the 12th century and given its present Gothic-Renaissance form at the end of the 14th century. Its flat facade of pale ochre plaster has tall arched windows framed in red brick, a square brick-framed window below, and two blind arched recesses. A stone balcony on corbels stands over a round-arched wooden doorway, and circular openings light the attic beneath the projecting timber eaves.

The core of the house dates to the 12th century; it took its present Gothic-Renaissance form at the end of the 14th century. In 1476 it was home to Angelo Fontana, keeper of the Porta Orientale, the eastern gate then beside the house and demolished in the 19th century. A Francesco Fontana, Sforza senator, lived here in the last decade of the 15th century; later owners included the Pirovano, Stampa and Castiglioni families and senator Giovanni Silvestri (1858–1940).

The house is also called "Ca' del Guardian" because in 1476 it was home to Angelo Fontana, keeper of the Porta Orientale, the city gate then next to the house and demolished in the 19th century. A Francesco Fontana, senator under the Sforza, lived here in the last decade of the 15th century. Inside, a painted frieze with medallions of deities and the fountain, the family emblem, runs beneath a coffered ceiling.

The facade faces Corso Venezia, a busy avenue, so the building is best examined from the opposite pavement. The 1961 restoration by architect Ferdinando Reggiori left the medieval arched openings exposed at ground level; look for them beside the brick-framed windows. The entrance door is not open to visitors.

The facade originally bore frescoes attributed to Bramante or Bramantino, with traces of this painted artwork still visible beneath the building's cornice. These hidden remains reveal the sophisticated artistic decoration that once adorned the wealthy family's residence.