Along via Canalino there are some interesting buildings from the XVIII century, like Palazzo Tosi Bellucci, (formerly, from 1537 to 1776, the college of the orphans of San Geminiano). On the right, one of the side street is via dei Servi, an interesting route into the heart of the ancient city centre.
At number 5, Palazzo Carandini Trivulzio has a Neoclassic facade (designed in 1824 by Gusmano Soli) and a painted courtyard. Many famous artists, like the composer Giuseppe Verdi, used to visit its exclusive club.
On the right, in via Mondatora there is one of the entrances to the Covered Market Albinelli°°. One’s attention is caught by the enormous church of San Bartolomeo°° and by the adjacent monastery (nowadays, an art school). At number 18, the house where the playwright Paolo Ferrari was born. On the right, an interesting main door way in the XVIII century style leads into a very nice court. Then, you get caught up in the animation of via Albinelli, with the main entrance to the market°°.
The little square on the right, where the street is crossed by via Selmi, is called Piazzetta dei Servi. You are now near Largo Torti and the little church of San Paolo. Here, the bell tower is all that remains of the ancient church of San Salvatore, destroyed by the bombing in 1944. A red line on the floor indicates the perimeter of the church.
The imposing facade of Palazzo Fontana, built from 1533 for doctor Giovanni Tommaso and then restored by Cesare Costa in the XIX century is unistakable with its two brick built wings. From here there is also a curious view of the Ghirlandina, perfectly framed between the palaces.
At number 31, the Renaissance palace called Aggazzotti with a romantic garden along the nearby alley. At the 33, casa Grassetti was the birthplace of Giovan Battista Amici, famous scientist, who lived between the XVIII and the XIX centuries, the inventor of the modern microscope and builder of excellent telescopes. On the corner with corso Canal Chiaro°°, the ancient casa Morano.
