Salimbeni Palace in Siena
The Salimbeni Palace in Siena was built in the Gothic style and can be seen in Piazza Salimbeni. The Piazza and Palazzo Salimbeni date back to the fourteenth century, but their current appearance is due to a nineteenth-century restoration. The neo-Gothic or Gothic Revival style now houses one of Italy's main banks, as well as a rich collection of works of art.
Description of the attraction
Piazza Salimbeni is a rectangular square formed by three buildings, in the center of which is a statue of Archdeacon Sallustio Bandini. However, the Salimbeni Palace, the central building, dominates the area.
The building on the right is the Palazzo Spannocci, begun in the Renaissance style by the Florentine architect Giuliano da Maiano in 1470, but not completed until the façade was built in 1880, designed by Giuseppe Partini. On the left is the Palazzo Cantucci, built in 1548 by Bartolomeo Neroni.
Antiochius and Stratonicus, May
Partini was the mastermind behind the reconstruction of the entire piazza in the 19th century and advocated a return to medieval and Renaissance forms in post-unification Italy. At that time the square did not exist in the form in which it exists today; the Salimbeni Palace consisted only of a fortress and gardens.
Partini was commissioned to create a new Renaissance piazza and demolished the gardens of Palazzo Spannocchi to create the current layout. He also converted and modernized the old fortress, which was the headquarters of Monte dei Paschi di Siena, one of Italy's main banks. With origins dating back to the fifteenth century, it remains an important Sienese institution to this day. It is also considered one of the oldest banks in the world.
The Salimbeni Palace also houses the collection of the Monte dei Paschi, who collected artifacts from all over the world and brought them to Siena. Significant expansion of the collection began in the 1980s, and space was specifically allocated and designed for the museum within the headquarters. The collection of the Salimbeni Palace includes works by Pietro Lorenzetti, Sassetta, Jacopo della Quercia, Domenico Beccafumi, Riccio, Rutilio Manetti and Alessandro Franchi, as well as the "Fresco of the Madonna della Misericordia" by Benvenuto di Giovanni and the "Fresco della Vergine" by Bernardino Fungai and statues of St. Bernardino, Caterina Siena, Antonio and Maria Maddalena.
The Salimbeni Palace is one of the most grandiose and impressive places in the city of Siena. It preserves history, traditions and harmoniously fits into the modern cityscape.
