Palazzo Dosi, currently owned by the Magnavacca family, who acquired it in 1931, stands as one of the most important examples of the Baroque architectural and decorative style of Pontremoli. This grand private residence was constructed between 1742 and 1749 in the heart of the historic city center at the behest of the Dosi family, wealthy merchants who became marquises. The design was created by architect and painter Giovan Battista Natali (1698-1768). The palace served multiple functions for the Dosi family, including residential, commercial, and representative purposes. The large structure and the skillful distribution of spaces reflect the 18th-century mercantile society of Pontremoli, where practicality was intertwined with pleasure, and where art and culture were always closely tied to commerce and business.

The main entrance of the palace faces via Ricci Armani, just steps away from the Piazza del Duomo and Piazza della Repubblica, in the heart of the city. A large sandstone portal, topped by an elegant wrought-iron balcony, gives access to a porticoed atrium. With an effective perspective “telescope,” the atrium spans the entire length of the palace, connecting to a wide balcony on the other side, overlooking the Magra River. On either side of the atrium, there are two different staircases: one for service and the other for representation. The latter, a dramatic Carrara marble staircase supported by two delicate sandstone columns, leads up to the noble floor, where a vast glass gallery awaits. This gallery is finished with a remarkable perspective view created by Antonio Contestabili. The view constitutes a true trompe l’oeil in which an additional painted staircase “breaks through” the wall and creates a perfect illusion of imaginary rooms.

From this space, one enters the grand representative apartment, entirely frescoed with the sophisticated quadratures by Giovan Battista Natali and numerous mythological and allegorical scenes painted by Giuseppe Galeotti. The main hall impresses with its grand volume, emphasized by the perspective shift made on the large pavilion-shaped ceiling, outlined by the elegant gallery that surrounds its perimeter. Here, the quadratures by Natali frame the vaults and walls, interwoven with a very light color palette of soft greens, yellows, golds, pinks, violets, and blues. The mythological scenes by Galeotti depict mythological abductions, reluctant maidens, deceptions, and metamorphoses. The three largest scenes show the marriage procession of Neptune and Amphitrite, Mercury’s descent into Hades, and the abduction of Europa.

Other smaller rooms, but richly decorated in the same style, are connected to the main hall. Two of these rooms were dedicated to the gallery and originally housed the famous painting collection of the Dosi family. One alcove, characterized by a richly frescoed headboard directly on the wall, also forms part of the suite.

The representative apartment of Palazzo Dosi is now used for literary presentations, art exhibitions, conferences, and film sets, as well as being an object of architectural and cultural study.

For visit information:

Cooperativa Sigeric
Phone: +39 331 8866241
Email: info@sigeric.it
Website: www.sigeric.it
www.villadosidelfini.it

photos: arch. Elia Santini