Anyone who may take a walk among the street of Marradi has his attention attracted by the facades of the noble palaces of past times, which still today form a frame to the main streets and the square of the town. Among these is the Torriani Palace which, while being simple in its external architecture, holds immense values on the inside, like a casket. In fact, crossing the large main door of the antique palace, one immediately perceives the fascination and the beauty of this residence, the restoration of which was completed on Good Friday of 2003 by the descendant of the Torriani family, Anna Maria Tagliaferri in Donati.
The grand staircase, which leads to the first floor, allows us to be able to appreciate three rooms magnificently decorated in Liberty style by Galileo Chini. One of the frescos realized by Galileo on a vaulted ceiling, idealizes a gazebo containing floral motifs and original palmettes which Galileo will realize subsequently in Siam, too. The fresco is enriched by festoons of flowers like the Irises typical of the Florentine artistic culture. The second fresco, which enriches the dining room stupendously, is a collage of 48 tiles connected to each other by sprays of grapevines on a turquoise background typical of the Liberty style.
The third fresco is certainly the most intriguing, and the force produced by the chromatic intensity is so great that it leaves the visitor without words. It is a composite fresco; in fact, while the central part was realized by Silvestro Lega who did not bring the work to a conclusion, the border was subsequently realized by Galileo. The result is a marvellous composite weaving of decorations which bring out the four heads of Medusa and the golden acorns in ceramic. To complete the hall is the fine blue French wallpaper which finishes the decoration.
Itinerario Liberty - Planning and Realization - Stefano Pelosi - www.stefanopelosi.it