Palazzo Corsini al Parione

Palazzo Corsini al Parione is one of the most sumptuous private palaces in Florence, located on the homonymous Lungarno Corsini, halfway between Ponte Santa Trinita and Ponte alla Carraia.

SHORT HISTORY

Until the 16th century, there were various buildings on this area, the most important of them being the Casino del Parione and the house of the lawyer Tommaso Compagni, decorated by a fresco with the Nine Muses by Bernardino Poccetti.

The land was owned first by the Marquis of Marignano, then by Giovanni de’ Medici, son of Cosimo I and Eleonora degli Albizi. In 1621, the property passed to Cardinal Giovan Carlo de’ Medici, and in 1640 it was sold to Maddalena Machiavelli, mother of Bartolomeo Corsini.

Bartolomeo Corsini began the construction of a new building in 1656, initially with the contribution of the architect Alfonso Parigi the Younger, who was succeeded later by Ferdinando Tacca, and by Pierfrancesco Silvani.

After Silvani’s death in 1685, the work was continued by Antonio Maria Ferri, who gave the current appearance to the structure: the three bodies articulated around a central courtyard, the monumental staircase and the facade on Lungarno Corsini.

Today, the palace is still partly inhabited by the descendants of the Corsini family. The building is also used as a venue for exhibitions and events, and it can be visited by appointment.

ART AND ARCHITECTURE

Palazzo Corsini al Parione has a facade in Baroque style, with a long balcony on the noble floor and a terrace on the top floor, decorated with statues and terracotta vases.

The palace has three bodies organized around the large courtyard. The right wing is double the size of the left, because the original project remained unfinished.

The courtyard is accessed through a portal flanked by columns, surmounted by a Corsini coat of arms. On the ground floor, there is an artificial grotto, built by Ferri between 1692 and 1698.

From the central courtyard, you can access the spiral staircase by Silvani and the monumental staircase by Ferri. The latter is decorated with Neoclassical statues, and is crowned on the first floor by the statue of Pope Clement XII, born Lorenzo Corsini.

Inside the palace, there are numerous halls with the original frescoes, decorations and furnishings. On the main floor, there is a loggia with frescoes painted between 1650 and 1653 by Alessandro Rosi and Bartolomeo Neri.

On the same floor, there is the majestic Hall of the Throne (Salone del Trono), of grandiose proportions and richly decorated, with columns and pilasters along the walls, and with a gallery of ancient statues. On the ceiling, there is the fresco with the Apotheosis of Casa Corsini by Anton Domenico Gabbiani.

The first floor also houses the Corsini Gallery (Galleria Corsini), the most important private art collection in Florence, focusing on Italian and European 17th-18th century painting.

HOW TO GET THERE

Palazzo Corsini al Parione is located about 850 meters away from the Santa Maria Novella railway station. The closest bus stop is Vigna Nuova, located in Via della Vigna Nuova, about 180 meters away, on the bus Lines 6 and 11.