Bologna Palazzo Marescotti Calvi
Palazzo Marescotti Calvi Photos
About Palazzo Marescotti Calvi
The facade of this palazzo, originally built around the 1400s, is in fact historically incomplete, though, the renaissance porticoes with ornate Corinthian capitals do instil a small token of just what may have been.
On the left just next to the entrance is this icon of the Madonna and Child entitled Madonna of the night and shadows. It was a venerated image from 1570-1589 and painted by Felice Pasqualini – also nicknamed Il Lasagna. There does not appear to be any specific connection here with the palazzo and may have just been typical of those times when these murals were painted on buildings.
On the ground floor is the library. This palazzo was quite famous for its historic volumes of books not to mention a vast collection of 16-17th century paintings by Bolognese artists. Presently, the music department is here so almost everything in the library is modernised.
The presence of nobility may have been lacking in actual personages living here but some architectural elements inside soon dispel any notion that this was not an important homestead.
The long access loggia leads to a grandiose baroque stairway built by Gian Giacomo Monti in 1680 and ending in a spacious gallery. The stairway was set at a tangent to the loggia and links the noble apartments including the salon d’honneur, the antechamber, the meeting room, gallery and the Aldrovandi apartment which also consists of more rooms.
Servant rooms and passageways used by them are also to be found here. The maze of corridors and narrow hall ways lead nowadays to modern offices for staff and teachers. In one particular spot which is almost hidden from view is this chapel-like space, complete with a holy-water font and memorial tablets inserted into the walls. This one to Damaso Brazzetti is even more mysterious since the man only died in 1920.
The walls and particularly ceilings of these rooms were decorated with paintings in Baroque style. There are quite a lot of emblematic and allegorical motifs celebrating the family’s ancestors. Many of the artists engaged in working here from 1691-1709 include masters such as Domenico Canuti, Haffner and Franceschini, Giuseppe Rolli, Giuseppe Cuccioli and Giovan Bezzi – otherwise referred to as Giambologna and to whom is attributed the sumptuous plasterwork.
Travelling back further in history: the Marescotti family were very much deeply rooted in political life here in Bologna from the 12th century. Around the middle of the 1300s they joined forces with the Calvi family and both enjoyed prestige and wealth for many years. From 1466-1690 the primogenitary line died out.
From the beginning of the 15th century the families owned many of the buildings in this block. The Calvi family came to prominence with the success of their shop on the corner of this building selling herbs and spices.
The houses were divided up and interlinked with commonly shared hallways, stairways and courtyards. However, in 1508 the complex was destroyed by a mob led by the Bentivoglio family. Restoration work began in earnest under
Giovanni Beroaldo but was unfortunately not completed. Further work was carried out in 1547 to the porticoes.
At the back of the building here were the horse stables now replaced with more class rooms and of course a staff carpark.