| Palazzo Bellisomi Vistarino | |
|---|---|
 Facade | |
 Interactive map of Palazzo Bellisomi Vistarino | |
| General information | |
| Type | Palace |
| Architectural style | Rococo |
| Location | Pavia, Italy |
| Coordinates | 45°10′53″N9°09′25″E / 45.1814°N 9.1570°E /45.1814; 9.1570 |
| Opened | 1753 |
| Owner | University of Pavia |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect | Francesco Croce |
ThePalazzo Bellisomi Vistarino is an 18th-century palace in the city ofPavia and among the most important examples of Lombardrococo.
The Bellisomi aristocratic family is of ancient Pavia origin. Jurists, administrators, ecclesiastics emerged, among these the most famous was Carlo (1736-1808), who went through a diplomatic career, first becomingnuncio toPoland and then toLisbon, in 1783 he was created cardinal, and in 1795 bishop ofCesena. He actively participated in theConsulte de Lyon in 1801.The Bellisomi family moved to this noble house in the parish of Santa Maria Corte Cremona (where the palace is located) between 1610 and 1619, when Nicola Annibale, first Marquis ofFrascarolo, leaves the nearby house in the parish ofSan Michele where the family resided since the fifteenth century.[1]
Around 1720 the aristocratic family decided to remodel their urban palace according to the dictates of the new artistic fashions, the works, however, lasted for a long time, until, from 1745, Gaetano Annibale Bellisomi, thanks to the huge accumulated patrimony, gave new impetus to the construction site. Gaetano Annibale was a man of great culture and multifaceted interests, from the sciences to the arts, a passionate bibliophile (the Bellisomi library was one of the largest in the city) and a great collector of antiquities, especially ancient coins. In the palace he created an antiquarian museum, also rich in naturalistic collections, which also attracted visitors from other Italian cities and beyond.[2]
The palace was designed byFrancesco Croce,[3] one of the greatest Milanese architects of the time, while the Cremonese painterGiovanni Angelo Borroni was called on for the frescoes. With the death of Gaetano Annibale Bellisomi, in 1747, the renovation of the building was carried out by his wife, Marie Anne Thérèse de la Corcelle Percy, and the works were completed in 1753.The elegant building was originally richly furnished, we know in fact that Gaetano Annibale brought furniture fromFrance and, through the MarquisAntoniotto Botta Adorno (high officer of theHabsburg monarchy and a plenipotentiary of theAustrian Netherlands), Flemish tapestries fromBrussels. In the 19th century the ownership of the building passed to the Giorgi di Vistarino counts, who remodeled the decorations of some rooms according to the taste of the time. After several passages, the building became the property of theUniversity of Pavia, which after extensive renovations, which began in 2007, has been the headquarters of the Alma Mater Ticinensis foundation since 2013.[4]
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The complex, which occupies an area of no less than 5,600 m2, is organized around the noble court, the service court and the large garden, which overlooks the Ticino from a belvedere.
The building also has a chapel, dedicated to Saints Simon and Judas, and stables. The stables, located in a side wing of the building, away from the residential areas, are divided by a double row of tall granite columns and are covered with domes. At the stables there is a room where the family carriages were originally parked.[5] A staircase allows access to the various rooms of the main wing of the building, which are then connected to the intermediate wings.
The building is also characterized by the diversity of the two facades: simple and rational the one facing via Sant'Ennodio, scenographic and lively, thanks also to the porch and terrace, the one facing the garden.[6]
Francesco Croce designed the building in such a way that the whole complex seemed to have arisen on the same level, but in reality the northern part of the building, the first courtyard and the part facing theTicino to the south have a difference in height of more than five metres.[7]