Palazzo Maffei
Encyclopedia
Palazzo Maffei is a historical palace in Verona
, northern Italy
, on the north-western side of Piazza delle Erbe
.
Construction works ended only in 1668.
. It starts at a slightly higher level than the square: under it remains are shown of the ancient Roman Capitoline Hill, which originally occupied Piazza delle Erbe.
The first floor has five arcades between tympani
. Over each arcade a window with an elegant balconie is placed, separated by Ionic semicolumns decorated by large masks.
The third floor is in the same style as the second, but with smaller windows and fake framed columns. The top of the facade is designed as a balaustrade with six statues of divinities: Hercules, Jupiter, Venus, Mercury, Apollo and Minerva. The latter are cut from local marble, with the exception of the Hercules, which is believed to have come from an ancient temple once located on the Roman Capitoline Hill.
The interior is home to a bizarre helicoidal stone staircase, which leads from the underground stores all the way up to the roof.
Verona
Verona ; German Bern, Dietrichsbern or Welschbern) is a city in the Veneto, northern Italy, with approx. 265,000 inhabitants and one of the seven chef-lieus of the region. It is the second largest city municipality in the region and the third of North-Eastern Italy. The metropolitan area of Verona...
, northern Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, on the north-western side of Piazza delle Erbe
Piazza delle Erbe
Piazza delle Erbe is a square in Verona, northern Italy. Once it was the town's forum during the time of the Roman Empire.-Description:The northern side of the square is occupied by the ancient town hall, the Torre dei Lamberti, the Casa dei Giudici and the Mazzanti Houses...
.
History
A building existed in the current location in the 15th century, but on 20 December 1469 the nobleman Marcantonio Maffei decided to expand it by adding a third floor.Construction works ended only in 1668.
Description
The three-floor façade of the palace is in Baroque styleBaroque architecture
Baroque architecture is a term used to describe the building style of the Baroque era, begun in late sixteenth century Italy, that took the Roman vocabulary of Renaissance architecture and used it in a new rhetorical and theatrical fashion, often to express the triumph of the Catholic Church and...
. It starts at a slightly higher level than the square: under it remains are shown of the ancient Roman Capitoline Hill, which originally occupied Piazza delle Erbe.
The first floor has five arcades between tympani
Tympanum (architecture)
In architecture, a tympanum is the semi-circular or triangular decorative wall surface over an entrance, bounded by a lintel and arch. It often contains sculpture or other imagery or ornaments. Most architectural styles include this element....
. Over each arcade a window with an elegant balconie is placed, separated by Ionic semicolumns decorated by large masks.
The third floor is in the same style as the second, but with smaller windows and fake framed columns. The top of the facade is designed as a balaustrade with six statues of divinities: Hercules, Jupiter, Venus, Mercury, Apollo and Minerva. The latter are cut from local marble, with the exception of the Hercules, which is believed to have come from an ancient temple once located on the Roman Capitoline Hill.
The interior is home to a bizarre helicoidal stone staircase, which leads from the underground stores all the way up to the roof.