On August 17, 1840, the railway line, second in Italy after the Naples - Portici, was inaugurated, linking Milan with Monza, the seat of the summer residence of the Habsburg court. Accompanying this short but important stretch of railway was a station in neoclassical taste, later demolished during the construction of the new, larger station that still exists today (1882 - 1884).
Umberto I of Savoy, a great user of the train for his travels, had the Saletta Reale, a reception room for royal travelers and their guests, built. An interesting example of the eclectic taste then prevailing, the Saletta is decorated on the walls with elegant floral motifs and on the ceiling by the Genius of the Savoy family, painted by Moses Bianchi (1883 - 1884). The space hosts cultural activities.
