CORTONA | The historical and famous palaces

Il Palazzone

Il Palazzone, is one of the most important palaces in the area of Cortona. It rises on the hills nearby Cortona, perched on the left side of the hill. The palace was commissioned by the cardinal Passerini, that was the bishop of Cortona in the first years of 1500. But why he commissioned this big construction? To demonstrate the power reached by his family under the defence of the Medici family. The tower that overlooks all the building is 42 metres hight, and it is the first element that strikes the eyes when you look at the Palazzone. The descendant of the cardinal, the Count Lorenzo Passerini, gave at his death in 1968 the palace to the Scuola Normale Superiore di Pisa, with all the ancient furniture. The structure has a particular style outside, but in the interiors, there are many precious architectural beauties. The villa was built in the first decades of the sixteenth century, and the project was given to the architect Giovan Battista Caporali, who was influenced by other artists of that period. On the outside there is a wide garden with, in the  centre a well. Inside of the building there are also works of the famous Luca Signorelli and his student Tommaso Bernabei called “Papacello”. Luca Signorelli painted a small chapel inside the palace, but he was at least at the end of his life. Inside of Palazzone there is one room that hits for its decoration and paintings, that is the room of “Papacello”. Inside this wonderful room there is an important painting, that represtents the battle of Trasimeno, and in the background, there is a silhouette of Cortona. This is an important witness, because if we look at it, it seems like it is an ancient photo, and it could give us important information about how Cortona was in that period. Il Palazzone is not accessible for visit, but sometimes during the year, there are some guided tours organized by the cultural association of the city.