British Institute of Florence blog: Private Lives of the Renaissance Elite: A Fly on the Wall at the Palazzo Davanzati!

The Exterior of the Palazzo Davanzati
by Graham Meighan www.studyblue.com.

In the discussion of private affairs the phrase ‘What happens behind closed doors’ is often repeated. But have you ever wondered what it is like to open those closed doors and become an actual fly on the wall? The Palazzo Davanzati, the fourteenth century home of the Davizzi family, provides a rare opportunity to do just that!

Students participating in the Dawn of the Renaissance series visited the Palazzo Davanzati with Alan Pascuzzi on the 26^th September. This hidden gem is situated discreetly on Via Porta Rossa withholding wall paintings, furniture and architectural features, which will enlighten your perception of daily life in Renaissance Florence.

The three floors of the Palazzo contain rooms for dining, a studiolo, extravagant bedrooms, and most bizarrely the toilet, which intercedes these luxurious spaces! Despite having passed through the hands of various antiquarian-owners, 20^th century restoration has salvaged the Palazzo’s authentic charm. This Davanzati magic culminates in the charcoal graffiti scattered across the walls, transporting us to another time!

Graffiti on the internal walls of the

Palazzo Davanzati. Whilst some of

these drawings are by tax

collectors, others record historical

events like the Pazzi conspiracy of

1478. This abstract sketch looks

much like a procession, but that is

purely speculation!

Yet possibly the most revealing part of the Palazzo is the bedroom, the room that epitomises our modern concept of the ‘closed door’ or the ultimate private realm. Contrastingly, this space was once the social heart of the Renaissance home. It is certainly no surprise that women displayed post-childbirth gifts here (a proud memento of their survival!).

The narrative wall paintings on the upper wall of the ‘Chamber of The Lady Vergy’ also illustrate an anonymous French poem about love and betrayal also referenced in Boccaccio’s Decameron. Whilst light-hearted in their appearance, the paintings project a severe moral message… remain chaste or meet a tragic (and gory) end!