The Gianfigliazzi Palace, on the
Lungarno Corsini, constituted the most
important nucleus of the numerous houses belonged to the homonym
family up to the end of 1700’s.
On the elegant building crowned by
an ample loggia, from 1427
during the centuries
numerous restructurings were performed.
In 1818 with the extinction of the
Gianfigliazzi, the building was destined
to hotel with the name
“Delle Quattro Nazioni”.
Illustrious personalities stayed here,
among them the poet
Alexander Manzoni which referring
to the Arno river wrote
the famous sentence
“in its waters I rinsed my rags”.
The Palace also hosted for long periods
Luigi Bonaparte King of Holland who became its owner in 1828.
Subsequently the building was
acquired by Ranieri Lamporecchi,
famous lawyer of the Florentine Bar.
Here was born and lived for many years
his niece Virginia, the Countess of Castiglione,
known for her charm as well as for
her friendship with Napoleon III of France.
In 1867 the Palace was bought by
the Belgian Baron Adrian Hoogworst,
married with the Florentine noblewoman
Aurora Guadagni, whose arrangements
and furnishings made the building
still more beautiful and lavish
turning it into a
refined residence of French taste.
Known both for the beautiful interiors
and the pompous receptions,
Palazzo Gianfigliazzi became one
of the brightest and exclusive “salotti”
in the city, quoted by Hippolite Taine in his “Voyage en Italy”,
as the “decoration of Florence”.
After the death of the Hoogworsts
the building was acquired by the family
Cesaroni Venanzi and finally by
Aldemiro Campodonico, lawyer, political and publicist in 1920.
Today his niece Maria,
Baroness De Hagenauer,
contributes to preserve the ancient shine of this prestigious Florentine palace. |
