The Palazzo Giugni, also called the Palazzo Firenzuola, is a late-

Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) , from , with the same meanings. is a period in European history marking the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and covering the 15th and 16th centuries, characterized by an effort to revive and surpass ideas ...

Mannerist Mannerism, which may also be known as Late Renaissance, is a style in European art that emerged in the later years of the Italian High Renaissance around 1520, spreading by about 1530 and lasting until about the end of the 16th century in Italy, ...

architecture palace designed by

Bartolomeo Ammanati Bartolomeo Ammannati (18 June 151113 April 1592) was an Italian architect and sculptor, born at Settignano, near Florence. He studied under Baccio Bandinelli and Jacopo Sansovino (assisting on the design of the Library of St. Mark's, the ''Bibli ...

, and located on Via degli Alfani #48 in the quartiere San Giovanni of

Florence Florence ( ; it, Firenze ) is a city in Central Italy and the capital city of the Tuscany region. It is the most populated city in Tuscany, with 383,083 inhabitants in 2016, and over 1,520,000 in its metropolitan area.Bilancio demografico an ...

, region of

Tuscany Tuscany ( ; it, Toscana ) is a Regions of Italy, region in central Italy with an area of about and a population of about 3.8 million inhabitants. The regional capital is Florence (''Firenze''). Tuscany is known for its landscapes, history, art ...

, Italy. It is located down the street from the Brunelleschi's church of Santa Maria degli Angeli. Palazzo giugni 01

History

The palace was erected on land once occupied by the

Camaldolese The Camaldolese Hermits of Mount Corona ( la, Congregatio Eremitarum Camaldulensium Montis Coronae), commonly called Camaldolese is a monastic order of Pontifical Right for men founded by Saint Romuald. Their name is derived from the Holy Hermita ...

monastery of Santa Margherita delle Romite di Cafaggiolo (no longer extant). It was commissioned by Simone da Firenzuola from Ammanati in 1570 and completed in 1577. Ammanati also completed the building on Alfani #32. Simone had forbidden his children from selling the palace; however, lacking male descendants, in 1640, the palace came into the Giugni family with the marriage of Niccolò Giugni and Luisa Giraldi. At this time it was enlarged and two wings were added. A gallery was decorated using designs of

Massimiliano Soldani Benzi Massimiliano Soldani or Massimiliano Soldani Benzi (15 July 1656 – 23 February 1740) was an Italian baroque sculptor and medallist, mainly active in Florence. Born at Montevarchi, the son of a Tuscan cavalry captain, Soldani was employed by t ...

, with stuccoes by Giovanni Martino Portogalli and ceiling frescoes by

Alessandro Gherardini Alessandro Gherardini (16 November 1655 – 1726) was an Italian painter of the Baroque period, active mainly in Florence. He was the pupil of the painter Alessandro Rosi. In Florence, he painted a ''Crucifixion'' for the Monastery of the A ...

celebrating ''Medici support of the arts''. The marchese Giugni served as ''Guardaroba Maggiore'' to the Grand-Duke of Tuscany. In 1830, the Giugni family sold the palace to the Della Porta family, and between 1829-1839, the English painter and writer

Walter Savage Landor Walter Savage Landor (30 January 177517 September 1864) was an English writer, poet, and activist. His best known works were the prose ''Imaginary Conversations,'' and the poem "Rose Aylmer," but the critical acclaim he received from contempora ...

, resided with the family. Federico Fantozzi in his guide of Florence from 1842: described the palace as ''Beautiful, simple, and balanced in the facade, but more importantly, exceeding beautiful in the doric portal.'' The portal, with rusticated borders, is decorated with classical and other zoomorphic touches. Landor did criticize as a design flaw that the height of the portal exceeds the pediments above the windows. On the second floor in the center of the facade is the coat of arms of the Firenzuola made by the

Opificio delle Pietre Dure The Opificio delle pietre dure, literally meaning ''Workshop of semi-precious stones'', is a public institute of the Italian Ministry for Cultural Heritage based in Florence. It is a global leader in the field of art restoration and provides teachi ...

in 1950. The original shield is now located under the porch. The ground floor windows perch on Mannerist brackets. Beyond the courtyard is a small garden on the back wall characterized by the fountain of ''Giant overwhelmed by Boulders'' or ''Fall of Titan'' (1690) attributed to the sculptor Lorenzo Migliorini. Palazzo Giugni portale

The palace underwent restoration complete by 1871 under the guidance of

Emilio De Fabris Emilio De Fabris (28 October 1808 – 3 June 1883) was an Italian architect best known for his design of the west facade of Santa Maria del Fiore, Florence. De Fabris was born in Florence, Italy. He initially studied at the Academy of Fine ...

, and in the 1970s by Lando Bartoli. In 2015, the palace housed offices of both industry and from a high school for girls.Palazzo Spinelli
website, entry on Palace for Office of Florentine Beni Culturali.

References

{{coord, 43.7752, N, 11.2613, E, source:wikidata, display=title Buildings and structures completed in 1577 Houses completed in the 16th century Giugni Renaissance architecture in Florence