Casa Cazuffi

Casa Cazuffi is a 16th-century palace in Trento, located in Piazza del Duomo, adjacent to Casa Rella. Casa Cazuffi and Casa Rella are two of the most important examples of frescoed palazzi in Trento.

SHORT HISTORY

The facade of the building facing the square is adorned with frescoes attributed to Marcello Fogolino, who painted them between 1531 and 1536.

ARCHITECTURE

The palace has four floors. The ground floor is preceded by a corner portico with three arches. Each of the upper floors have four arched windows. The first and the last window on the third floor are embellished by a small balcony, one in stone with small columns and the other in wrought iron.

ART

The frescoes of Casa Cazuffi are arranged on three bands, corresponding to the three upper floors of the building. Fogolino painted on the fresh plaster, making sure that the color was incorporated during the drying process.

He made the white-gray figures with the chiaroscuro technique (the use of strong contrasts between light and dark), and for the background he used azurite, a cheap mineral which tends to disappear over time, and therefore is not suitable for frescoes. In fact, the blue background largely disappeared, and is now visible only in some areas of the facade.

On the left of the second floor, there is a figure of a man with his feet in fire, which should represent an invitation to prudence. Next, we can find the poor and the rich on horseback, which is supposed to represent greed. The third painting refers to the anecdote the Sword of Damocles, showing Damocles asking Dionysius to switch roles. The last figure depicts a musician, which represents the glory that is acquired through daring deeds.

On the third floor, on the left, there is a female figure with wings and a snake tail. The chariot of fortune follows, with Diana preceded by two reindeer. The last paintings depict Opportunity and Nemesis, representing the opportunism and the prudence.

On the fourth floor, the fresco is largely damaged.

HOW TO GET THERE

Casa Cazuffi is located about 600 meters away from the Trento railway station. The closest bus stop, Rosmini Santa Maria Maggiore, is located about 260 meters away, on the bus Lines 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 5/, 7, 8, 9, 10, 12, 13 and 14.