Palazzo Spini Feroni

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Palazzo Spini Ferroni.

Palazzo Spini Ferroni is a building in piazza Santa Trinita, Florence, Italy, the grandest private medieval house-palace in the city.

History

Detail of the fresco of the Resurrection of the Boy by Domenico Ghirlandaio, in the Sassetti Chapel of Santa Trinita.

The palace was built from 1289 for the rich cloth merchant and banker Geri Spini, on the lands he had bought from the monks of Santa Trinita, after the 1288 flood of the Arno.

At the time, it was the largest private-owned palace in Florence, in competition with the seat of government, the Palazzo Vecchio, which was being built in the same period. Architects to whom the design has been attributed include Arnolfo di Cambio or Arnolfo's father, Lapo Tedesco. The edifice's original appearance can be seen in Ghirlandaio's frescoes in the Sassetti Chapel of the neighbouring church of Santa Trinita.

In the 14th century, the palazzo was divided between the two branches of the Spini; the section facing the piazza was sold in the 17th century. In the 1670s, marquis Francesco Antonio Ferroni, a rich member of Grand Duke Cosimo III's entourage, had it redecorated with stuccoes by Giovan Battista Foggini and Lorenzo Merlini, moving frescoes by Bernardino Poccetti (1609-1612) from their original location. They represent Paradise with a Choir of Musician Angels and the Adoration of the Shepherds.

After a period as a hotel, in 1846, the comune of Florence bought it, and it was later used for offices during the period when Florence was capital of Italy (1865-1871). In 1874, it was partly renovated in neo-medieval style; shop-fronts were opened in the ground floor and a tower and an arch facing the river Arno were demolished, giving it the aspect it has today. In the 1930s, it was bought by the shoe designer Salvatore Ferragamo. Since 1995 the Palazzo has housed a museum dedicated to Ferragamo.

References

External links

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Coordinates: 43°46′10.54″N 11°15′3.57″E / 43.7695944°N 11.2509917°E / 43.7695944; 11.2509917

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