Palazzo Bonaparte

Between 1657 and 1677, the architect Giovanni Antonio De Rossi designed the sumptuous palace in Piazza Venezia on behalf of the marquises D'Aste, projecting a facade that combines the Baroque style with Renaissance rigour in an original balance.

It was 1760 when the Rinuccini marquises of Florence bought the building, sold in 1818 for 27,000 gold piastres to Maria Letizia Ramolino Bonaparte, known as "Madame Mère" as the mother of the famous Napoleon. Since then, the Palace, where the noblewoman will spend the last years of her life, is definitively known as Palazzo Bonaparte.

The refined entrance, characterized by a harmonious sequence of arches and decorated by an elegant marble fountain, leads to the beautiful main floor; here is the plaster reproduction of Antonio Canova's Napoleon as Mars the Peacemaker and a series of richly decorated rooms and halls. 18th-century stuccoes and frescoes and paintings and ornaments from a later period - such as the finely decorated doors, the elaborate motifs and rosettes on the ceiling, the bright gold and red colours, are the features of this refined architectural and artistic masterpiece.

Famous is the original green balcony with walls and ceiling with floral decorations, also called "mignano" or "bussolotto", from which Letizia Bonaparte used to look at the comings and goings of the carriages and the lively city life. The elegant rooftop loggia, on which the inscription "Bonaparte" stands out, was the favourite place of the aristocrats at sunset to enjoy the evening breeze and from where to admire a beautiful view of the city centre.

In 1972, Palazzo Bonaparte became the property of INA Assitalia. Today, it belongs to Generali Group and, after an important and careful restoration, is a prestigious space dedicated to art and culture.