Who was Mr. Marino?

Where did the name Palazzo Marino came from? Here is the story…

Right in front of the Teatro alla Scala you can see an important building – now hosting the headquarters of Milan’s Mayor and Deputy Mayor… and obviously all the other people who work with them. This is Palazzo Marino; named after its old owner, a Genovese Count, Tommaso Marino. A clever and unscrupulous businessman that lived about 500 years ago. After saving a huge fortune, he decided to build a home worth his wealth. The Count spared no expense and, after demolishing the old houses on that area, he started building his home.
Unfortunately his home wasn’t completed, even though he lived until the age of 100! This is because the Milanese did not like him very much because he was a sly and dishonest man, and to get their revenge, they cursed the building under construction with these words: “this heap of stones, fruits of a lot of robberies, will burn or become derelict or will be stolen by another thief”. The count died without money and without seeing his building fully finished, which was seized by the Spanish government and then by the Austrian one… Risking to burn under the Second World War bombings!

Article by manoxmano
(Taken from the itinerary “Palazzo Marino” by manoxmano)