Friday, November 13, 2009

Palazzo delle Colonne di marmo

Palazzo delle Colonne di Marmo, via Borra, Livorno“Via Borra” is named after Marco Alessandro Del Borro, Governor of Livorno from 1678 to 1701. Under his rule the “Fortezza Nuova” was reduced in size with the creation of the new quarter of “Venezia Nuova” (New Venice).Palazzo delle Colonne di Marmo, via Borra, LivornoThe elegant street crosses the quarter flanked by some beautiful buildings. The “Palazzo delle Colonne di marmo” (Palace of the Marble Columns) was built around 1703 for Ottavio Gamberini, a merchant from Lucca. The architect was probably the renowned sculptor Giovanni Battista Foggini (1652-1737). The last floor is clearly a later addition.Palazzo delle Colonne di Marmo, via Borra, LivornoPalazzo delle Colonne di Marmo, via Borra, LivornoPalazzo delle Colonne di Marmo, via Borra, LivornoPalazzo delle Colonne di Marmo, via Borra, LivornoThe facade is completely covered in Carrara marble, enriched by four pediments decorated with statues representing the seasons.

27 comments:

PJ said...

Our city is old but you wouldn't know it. We didn't invest in marble and sculptures but I wish we had. It's beautiful.

Lowell said...

These kinds of buildings just boggle my mind. So incredible and so gorgeous!

Compare: I heard the other day that some home builders in Florida now use Styrofoam in parts of their homes' facades!

Leif Hagen said...

Fantastic facades with wonderful details!

spacedlaw said...

Hi there. I have been following your blog for a while yet never commented, I think.
Pity the last floor was added. It looks so cheap and nasty compared to the lower ones.

Tash said...

Very intricate details in 'mramor' - now I know where the Croatian word comes from.

cieldequimper said...

Gorgeous. The later addition kind of spoils it I think but the rest of the building is fantastic. I love the use of marble everywhere. I'm not too sure which one is spring and which one is summer though.

VP said...

@ ciel - I'm quite sure these are in order spring to winter. The ladies have the nice seasons, the guys the bad ones.

Wolynski said...

Amazing detail on the architecture. Yes, that top floor is slapdash. Lovely photos.

Cezar and Léia said...

This is an elegant architecture, I liked a lot the façade and those sculptures and all details.I think it's a very expensive building.
Léia

Unknown said...

I can't imagine how much time and how many people were involved in doing all this beautiful carving! It's a joy to see close up.

Ilse said...

Renaissance facade. A monument to the artistic & cultural endeavors of Italy -- a legacy to humanity. Thank you!

brattcat said...

What a stunning facade...except for that unfortunate top floor. It's all in the details, isn't it.

Copenhagen said...

I'm speechless at the moment...this facade is absolutely angelic. You're so lucky to live in such a beautiful city.

B SQUARED said...

More beautiful buildings. Wonderful!

Andreea said...

A really beautiful palazzo. Your second photo can be among the ones travel agency show to people to lure us to Italy. It looks so much like one envisions Italy, yellow Vespa included (or maybe it's not a Vespa, I'm not sure)

Halcyon said...

Those sculptures are really beautiful. I love all the decorative details on those old buildings. You are lucky to live in an area with so much history!

Tinsie said...

You know, since my recent trip to Italy I came to the conclusion that those Italians who have "Daily Photo" blogs and post just one photo per day, must be quite lazy.

No other explanation.

cieldequimper said...

Lol. Well, we women need to retain a few privileges, don't we?!

VP said...

@ ciel - But we got the grapes...

tapirgal said...

Wonderful building. That top floor shows just how nice the lower ones are. As for the strange name of the orange ship, it's the Latin genus name for some nice flowers, lupine. I wonder if the rest of their fleet has flower names in Latin?

Luis Gomez said...

Great building! Thank you for showing the details on it. Beautiful.

Gunn said...

Great buildings with pretty details! it must be special to live with so many historical buildings. You are lucky!

Tussy said...

What happen with second face, it looks a bit dark than the other.

Hilda said...

Marvelous! I am so glad this one survived the war.

Wish the owners designed the last floor to match the rest of it though.

Unknown said...

Glad you showed us the details of the 'Mármore' de Carrara (portuguese version! :-) ) beautiful façade!

Anonymous said...

Such a beauty - needs some love though. Are there any plans to restore and tidy up the facade a little bit? It is totally worth the effort - marvelous details /or should I say marbelous/

Kaori said...

the statues are so old yet so beautiful!