Probably the finest example of Florentine renaissance architecture in Barga, the Palazzo Angelio in Barga Vecchia could (maybe) be finally getting some renovations to its world weary and damaged façade which for many years had be reduced to a kind of “peek a boo, now you see me, now you don’t” game with parts of its delicate decorations desperately trying to show through from underneath the terrible grey pebble dash finish that was slapped all over it some time in the recent past.
Maybe just maybe, it will finally get to take its rightful place as probably the finest building in Barga Vecchia.
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This afternoon Luciano Zanella, painter and specialist decorator and well known in Barga Vecchia for his work on some of the other large palazzo’s* and Geometra Nesi were trying out a colour test on the outside of the building. According to the pair, if the project is passed and goes into the next stage where the plaster work on the front of the building to replaced, they could be repainting the façade some time this summer.
Tiny doubts surfaced when two residents of Palazzo Angelio, and who would in theory be paying part of the costs of the exercise along with the other residents inside the palazzo professed no knowledge of the project or design being offered up to the wall of the building. Hopefully all will become clearer at the next residents meeting which could well be an interesting one for all concerned. A swift decision will be needed if work can be started and brought to a conclusion before the fast approaching summer season as Piazza Angelio is the premier location for live entertainment during the summer with live music concerts from Barga Jazz and others.
* Luciano Zanella, painter and specialist decorator and well known in Barga Vecchia for his work on some of the other large palazzo’s – articles can be seen here:
Palazzo Balduini here | Palazzo 2 here | Palazzo Salvi here | Palazzo 3 here | Palazzo Pancrazi here
This piazza, once known as Piazza Aiaccia, owes its present name to two buildings built by the Angeli family, who were reknown for producing poets, writers, prelates and soldiers. The most famous of these, Pietro Angeli (1512-1573), also known by his knickname “Bargeo”, was a poet, a soldier and a professor of Greek and Latin at the University of Pisa.
One of the Angeli buildings on this piazza was formerly the home of the journalist, writer and typographer Pietro Groppi (1831 – 1908), who wrote a biography of Pietro Angelio and founded the weekly newspaper “The Serchio Echo” and which now houses the barganews and barga jazz offices and the barganews book exchange.
Click on the link below to hear a short interview with Luciano Zanella and Geometra Nesi (in Italiano)