Palazzo della Borsa

Palazzo della Borsa is a large palace in Florence, located on Lungarno Diaz, about 100 meters away from the Uffizi Gallery.

SHORT HISTORY

The area in which the palace currently stands was occupied until the mid-19th century by Tiratoio delle Grazie, an edifice belonging to the guild of Arte della Lana (Wool Art).

When the ancient guilds were dissolved by the Grand Duke Pietro Leopoldo, the site was chosen for a large building suitable for housing the Chamber of Commerce, the Stock Exchange and the Tuscan National Bank.

Palazzo della Borsa was built between 1858 and 1860 on a project by the young architect Michelangelo Maiorfi, reworked with significant changes by Emilio De Fabris.

Around 1915, the entrance from Piazza dei Giudici was opened, and some internal works were carried out based on a project by the architect Ugo Giusti.

An intervention by the architect Ezio Cerpi, which led to the raising of the entire attic, thus obtaining the second floor and bringing the structure to its current volume, is dated to 1931.

The smooth plaster on the facade and the construction of a large hall in the eastern side of the palace, intended for the Stock Exchange, date back to the same period.

Between March 2003 and February 2005, the exterior of the palace was covered with a new plaster and all the stone elements of the facade and the roof were restored.

ART AND ARCHITECTURE

Palazzo della Borsa has a facade in Neoclassical style, with a central body imitating a Greek temple, between smooth plastered surfaces. On the sides of the central body, there are two bas-reliefs with the insignia of the Wool Guild.

Inside, in the atrium, there are mural paintings by Galileo Chini depicting Agriculture and Commerce.

HOW TO GET THERE

Palazzo della Borsa is located about 1.5 kilometers away from the Santa Maria Novella railway station. The closest bus stop is Diaz, located about 70 meters away, on the bus Line C1.