The Palace
Palazzo Tarasconi is acknowledged as a centre of art and culture,
as well as a suggestive location for events.
The venue
A building with a great historical value, it was built in the 16th century at the behest of the brothers Scipione and Alessandro Tarasconi, probably on a project by Giovanni Francesco Testa.
The palace has an extraordinary visual impact, having kept the original structure unchanged. It stands in the heart of Parma historic centre, at number 37 of the central Strada Farini.
The building has spaces of great interest and can host art exhibitions, meetings and conferences, events of all kinds in places with an ancient charm while being extremely functional.
The strong point of the Palace lies in the suggestive rooms of summer conviviality: the Sale Ipogee (Hypogeum Halls) in the basement.
Recently recovered, they host the exhibitions of Palazzo Tarasconi.
History
The Palace takes its name from the Tarasconi family , to which it belonged from its origins until the mid-nineteenth century, when, upon the death of the last childless descendant, Marquis Luigi, Grand Master of the Court, it was inherited by his nephew Luigi Lupo Maria, of the Meli Lupi Soragna family, who was the owner until 2014.
Since 2015 the Palace, now privately owned, has been the object of deep recovery and restoration interventions.
The works have brought to light the original, precious decorations, mostly unknown, allowing to fully grasp the remarkable historical-artistic peculiarities of the building, which have motivated its protection pursuant to Legislative Decree 42/2004 – Cultural Heritage Code (Ministerial Decree 18/02/1966).
The spaces
The building has kept the original structure unchanged, with the double loggia entirely open and the location of the two main staircases in correspondence with its two opposite corners, to preserve the unity of the central space, according to the plan of many Renaissance palaces in Rome and Florence.
In the north-east corner is the grand staircase, leading to the loggia on the noble floor. On the opposite side, in the southwest corner of the courtyard, is an elegant helicoidal staircase, structured on a continuous masonry balustrade, on which nineteen Tuscan columns are set in three spiral turns.
No less suggestive are the Hypogeum Halls in the basement: a prestigious space dedicated to exhibitions and events. Also these rooms have been entirely recovered. They can be reached from the cour d’honneur via two entrances, placed in a symmetrical position.
The renovation works have designed a new direct access from Strada Farini, through the ancient small entrance portal, which will lead to the exhibition spaces, crossing a room where you can admire the remains of the late ancient city walls and of a Lombard necropolis, as well as the basement section of the Roman walls, superimposed on each other and found during the works.
The underground rooms have brick and plastered barrel vaults. Here we can observe eleven bays, a triple series of cross vaults on square pillars with recesses for torches, retaining traces of the ancient fresco decoration.
The basement is also equipped with a large circular icebox (height 2.6m, diameter 6.3m) characterized by a domed roof.
On the ground floor the large Hall of Allegories, with a lunette vault entirely painted in fresco: in the lunettes mythological figures alternate with monochromatic jars. Grotesque figures are in the vaults, while the ceiling is decorated with a trompe-l’oeil motif, made up of a pergola with branches of flowers and fruit, through which the blue sky is visible and delimited by a balustrade, according to an iconographic project that will be defined once the restoration is completed.
Exhibitions area
ACCESSIBILITY
RESTROOMS
AUDIO GUIDES
Gallery
