Postal Palace

Take a look at this pale stone building with pointed arches, pinnacles and traceried windows: it looks like a Venetian palace, yet it is a post office that still works. This is the Postal Palace, the Fifth Post House, opened in 1907.

1An Italian in Porfirio Díaz's Mexico

It was designed by the Italian architect Adamo Boari, who also designed the neighbouring Palace of Fine Arts, working with the engineer Gonzalo Garita. Construction began in 1902 and ended in 1907, at the height of the Porfiriato, when Porfirio Díaz's government wanted to give the capital buildings worthy of Paris or Rome. The structure is steel, a novelty at the time, and the façade blends Isabelline Gothic, Plateresque and Venetian Renaissance in an eclectic style typical of its day.

2Bronze and iron from Florence

The interior is even more surprising: the grand staircase, the railings and the service counters were cast in bronze and iron by the Pignone foundry in Florence and shipped to Mexico. Light falls from above onto a marble hall that feels more like a theatre than a post office. After damage in the 1985 earthquake, the building was thoroughly restored.

It's one of the few monuments in the city where you can still buy a stamp and send a postcard.

3What to look for

• The pointed arches and Gothic tracery of the windows.
• The pinnacles along the roofline.
• The bronze staircase, visible from the entrance when it's open.