The Palazzo Magnani, also known as the ''Palazzo Becchi-Magnani'', is a
Neoclassical-style palace located on Corso Giuseppe Garibaldi 29 in the historic center of the town of
Reggio Emilia
Reggio nell'Emilia ( egl, Rèz; la, Regium Lepidi), usually referred to as Reggio Emilia, or simply Reggio by its inhabitants, and known until 1861 as Reggio di Lombardia, is a city in northern Italy, in the Emilia-Romagna region. It has abou ...
in
Italy
Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...
.
The original palace was commissioned in the late 16th century by Count Becchi. The location on the then via della
Ghiara, now Corso Garibaldi, became a fashionable location for houses of the wealthy in town. The palace is notable for a fine decorated frieze below the roofline and a marble
telamon
In Greek mythology, Telamon (; Ancient Greek: Τελαμών, ''Telamōn'' means "broad strap") was the son of King Aeacus of Aegina, and Endeïs, a mountain nymph. The elder brother of Peleus, Telamon sailed alongside Jason as one of his Argona ...
-like figure at the corner of the building, depicting the god Janus, sculpted in 1576 by
Prospero Sogari .
By the early nineteenth century, ownership of the palace passed to the aristocratic Chioffi family, who refurbished the facade to its present Neoclassical style. In 1917, after various changes in ownership, the house passed to the Magnani family. Luigi Magnani endowed the
Magnani-Rocca Foundation
The Magnani-Rocca Foundation is a private collection of old masters and modern art, gathered by the art collector and critic Luigi Magnani. He established the foundation in 1978 honour of his father Giuseppe and his mother Eugenia Rocca to prom ...
to display his art collections at his villa at Mamiano di Traversetolo. This palace, restored by Ivan Sacchetti, was purchased in 1984 by the town from the estate of Luigi Magnani, and is now used for special exhibits.
Palazzo Fondazione Magnani
official website.
References
Palaces in Reggio Emilia
Neoclassical architecture in Emilia-Romagna
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