Palazzo dell’Antella

Palazzo dell’Antella is a palace with a beautiful frescoed facade in Florence, located in Piazza di Santa Croce, near the Basilica of Santa Croce.

SHORT HISTORY

The first significant expansion of the palace dates back to the second half of the 16th century – the building was raised by a floor, including a mezzanine, and the wooden doors were replaced with stone ones, still visible today. The architect of the palace was probably someone from the circle of Baccio d’Agnolo.

In the early 17th century, the palace passed to Senator Niccolò dell’Antella, through the dowry of his wife Costanza del Barbigia. In 1619, dell’Antella commissioned the architect Giulio Parigi to give a unified design to the properties the senator bought in Piazza di Santa Croce.

To give a unified appearance to the adjacent buildings, the architect had the entire facade painted with frescoes. The paintings were made in just twenty days of work, between 1619 and 1620, by a team of thirteen young artists supervised by the painter Giovanni da San Giovanni.

Dell’Antella died out in 1698 and, later, the palace passed by inheritance to the Dal Borgo family, then to Lotteringhi della Stufa and finally to de’ Nobili. The building was purchased in 1925 by Delfino Cinelli, who had the paintings restored by Amedeo Benini.

ARCHITECTURE

The complex facade of the building is one of the most prominent elements of Piazza di Santa Croce. The wall decoration consists of paintings divided into numerous panels, inside which there are allegorical figures, cherubs, flowers, plant elements and arabesques. The windows are gradually closer to the left of the building, approaching the Church of Santa Croce, to give the illusion of grandeur.

HOW TO GET THERE

Palazzo dell’Antella is located about 1.7 kilometers away from the Santa Maria Novella railway station. The closest bus stop is Magliabechi, on the bus Line C3, about 100 meters away from the palace. To find the palace on foot, use the map below.