The Nineteenth-Century Fresco Palace

A 500 sqm frescoed piano nobile in the historic heart of Florence, with thirteenth century origins, two independent entrances and a five room guest wing

Ref. FIR467

In the heart of Florence's historic centre, in the Tornabuoni district, one of the city's most prestigious and sought after quarters, the piano nobile of a historic noble palazzo whose origins reach back to the thirteenth century is offered for sale. Beyond the great door, the hum of the city fades and gives way to seven centuries of Florentine history. Spanning approximately 500 sqm on the first floor, the residence preserves intact the painted decorative cycle commissioned during the nineteenth century by the distinguished noble families who once owned it.

The frescoes

Look up, and the ceilings of the piano nobile open like skies painted in tempera. The cycle bears the signature of Prospero Minghetti (Reggio Emilia, 1786-1853), who trained in Rome in the studio of Antonio Canova. In early 1818 he painted the vault of the gallery, returning around 1832-1835 to fresco the drawing room with Cupid and Psyche. Alongside him worked Pasquale Saviotti of Faenza, author of Diana and Endymion and Apollo entrusting the Chariot of the Sun to Phaeton, while Minghetti's workshop painted the sweeping scene of Venus, Jupiter and Juno. Each room tells the story of a mythical couple, and from one to the next the thread never changes: Love. The journey is completed by a late nineteenth century grotesque entrance hall and a small passage with Minerva, and by an elegant faux coffered ceiling from the 1920s.

The property

Registered in cadastral category A/10, the property is an ideal setting for prestigious representative offices, professional practices or a showroom, and lends itself equally well to residential conversion. It is not subject to any heritage listing by the Soprintendenza, a rare freedom in a Florentine palazzo of such historic standing. It enjoys two independent entrances, one of which also leads to a five room guest wing, ideal for guests or staff. The historic rooms also preserve a finely carved fireplace surround from the 1830s. Fully restored, with systems up to code, it is ready to be lived in from day one. Outside, the façade adorned with refined original sgraffito decoration, restored in 1998, quietly announces the treasure that lies within.

Location

The palazzo stands beside Via de' Tornabuoni, the city's most elegant street, once known as the drawing room of Europe, a short walk from the Duomo, the Lungarni and Santa Maria Novella station. Stepping outside, you wander among artisan workshops, churches and Renaissance palaces, with the domes and towers of the city as the backdrop to everyday life.

Price: € 6,500,000