Palazzo Boveri: A Baroque Aristocratic Palace in Borgo Val di Taro
Site at a Glance
- Rating
- 4
- Popularity
- Very Low
- Country
- Italy
- Primary era
- Early Modern
- Eras represented
- Early Modern
- Civilizations
- Duchy of Parma and Piacenza
- Site type
- Domestic
- Remains
- Elite Residence
On this page10 sections
History
Palazzo Boveri is a Baroque aristocratic palace in Borgo Val di Taro, Italy, constructed in the seventeenth century for the Boveri family. Formerly known as Palazzo Fieschi, it became associated with the town’s noble families and later received an important royal connection through Elisabetta Farnese.
The Boveri Palace and Elisabetta Farnese
In 1714, the palace was prepared for Elisabetta Farnese, an Italian noblewoman of the Farnese family who became queen consort of Spain through her marriage to Philip V. Its rooms and exterior were decorated with frescoes and elaborate Baroque stucco for the occasion. On 16 September, Elisabetta married Philip V, the first Bourbon king of Spain, by proxy in Parma Cathedral.
Her procession stopped at Carona Castle before reaching Borgo Val di Taro on the following day. Elisabetta stayed at Palazzo Boveri for two nights, then continued overland towards the Iberian Peninsula, which she reached around mid-December. The palace later passed to the noble Misuracchi family.
War Damage and Renovation
On 3 August 1944, during the Second World War, Allied bombing struck the side of the building facing Via San Domenico and caused several deaths. The palace underwent a complete renovation beginning in 2001 and remains in use.
Remains
Exterior Decoration
Principal Facade
Palazzo Boveri has a rectangular plan and stands at the corner of Via Nazionale and Via San Domenico. Its rendered principal facade is richly covered with cocciopesto, a durable mortar or stucco made with crushed terracotta. An off-centre, round-arched entrance has a moulded frame crowned by the Boveri family coat of arms. Simpler linear frames surround the windows and the three shopfronts at ground level.
The openings on the main floor have imposing Baroque surrounds with volutes and reliefs. Ovals beneath the window sills show products characteristic of the area at the beginning of the seventeenth century. The architraves bear the coats of arms of noble families from Borgo Val di Taro that contributed to the cost of the palace’s decoration.
Upper Levels and Side Facade
The openings on the upper levels have similarly elaborate surrounds. Three large coats of arms are placed between the windows of the higher floors: the arms of Duke Alessandro Farnese on the left, the Farnese arms in the centre, and the arms of the Municipality of Borgo Val di Taro on the right.
The shorter side facade has comparable decoration around its openings, although its upper portion is partially damaged.
Courtyard and Interior Decoration
Courtyard and Stairway
Inside, the atrium leads to a central courtyard with an elegant covered loggia. Its ceiling is formed by intersecting sail vaults. The stairway reaches the main-floor landing, where a Carrara-marble high relief by Giuliano Mozzani, made at the beginning of the eighteenth century, is preserved. The lower section represents the Annunciation, while the upper section depicts the Assumption of Mary.
Decorated Rooms and Shop
Other rooms on the main floor retain frescoed ceilings. A seventeenth-century fireplace is also preserved there, with a coat of arms displayed on its hood.
The shop at the far right of the ground floor contains four wall ovals representing the Four Seasons. Alessandro Gherardini painted them at the beginning of the eighteenth century.
