The Palazzo Medici Clarelli is a historic building on the Via Giulia in Rome. Today it is one of the seats of the Municipality of Rome (Municipio 1). The coat of arms on the facade refers to the Medici family.
Palazzo Medici Clarelli Rome
Useful information
The address of the Palazzo Medici Clarelli is Via Giulia, 79 – Rome (tel. +39 06696011). Opening hours: Monday to Friday: 09.00 to 18.00. Saturday and Sunday closed. Entrance fee: Not open to tourists.
History and description
The palazzo was designed in 1535 by the famous architect Antonio da Sangallo il Giovane and his collaborator Dosio. It was intended as a residence for Sangallo himself. After his death, his son Orazio sold the building to Migliore Cresci. Later, it became property of the famous Medici family. In the 17th century it was the seat of the Tuscan Consulate. Subsequent owners were the Marini Clarelli family. In 1870 it became the property of the city of Rome.
The building consists of five floors and a basement.
Through an atrium, a portico with Doric columns leads to the courtyard, which used to give out onto the Tiber. Now there is an exedra, with a central shell-shaped niche and a fountain.
What to see
The frescoes
The frescoes commissioned by the Medici family between 1559 and 1565 that used to adorn the facade are unfortunately no longer visible, as they were covered with a layer of plaster in the 19th century. Old engravings show that the portraits of Giovanni and Giuliano dei Medici, as well as the coat of arms of Clemens VII Medici were depicted.
The only remaining testimony to the Medici family’s former ownership of the palazzo is the inscription above the main entrance dedicated to Cosimo I.