Palazzo Malenchini Alberti

Palazzo Malenchini Alberti is a palace in Florence, located in Via dei Benci, at the intersection with Lungarno Generale Diaz.

SHORT HISTORY

The noble family of Alberti di Catenaia settled in this area of Florence in the first half of the 13th century. The family purchased several properties and merged them to form a large structure in which they resided.

Between 1760 and 1763, the fronts of the buildings were unified into a single facade, on the initiative of Giovan Vincenzo Alberti, Count of the Holy Roman Empire.

Giovan Vincenzo’s son, Leon Battista, died without heirs in 1836, and the palace passed to a nephew belonging to the Mori Ubaldini family. Between 1838 and 1839, the new family renovated the palace, under the direction of the architect Vittorio Bellini.

Other interventions took place between 1849 and 1851 by the architects Odoardo Razzi and Niccolò Salvi. The first created the Neo-Renaissance facade, inaugurated in 1850. The second took care of the loggia on the northern side of the palace’s garden.

At the end of the 19th century, the palace was bought at auction by the Dukes of Chaulnes, distant descendants of the Alberti. In 1887, they left Florence, and the palace was bought by the Marquis Luigi Malenchini in 1895.

The main facade on Via dei Benci was restored in 1969, and the one on the Lungarno Diaz between 2000 and 2001.

ARCHITECTURE

The main facade of the palace on Via dei Benci, built in Neo-Renaissance style, covered with ashlar, has three floors and a large portal on the ground floor.

The secondary facade on Lungarno Diaz, with four floors, has a different configuration compared to the main facade, characterized by the absence of the ashlar and by a greater adherence to Neoclassical style.

The garden of the palace, in Italian style until the mid-19th century, was subsequently transformed into a romantic English garden, with a large curved flowerbed, shaded by tall trees.

HOW TO GET THERE

Palazzo Malenchini Alberti is located about 1.6 kilometers away from the Santa Maria Novella railway station. The closest bus stop is Benci, located on Via dei Benci, about 20 meters away, on the bus Lines 23, C1 and C3.