Palazzo Dosi Delfini: A Late Baroque Palace in Rieti
Site at a Glance
- Country
- Italy
- Primary era
- Early Modern
- Eras represented
- Early Modern
- Civilizations
- Papal States
- Site type
- Domestic
- Remains
- Elite Residence
On this page4 sections
History
Palazzo Dosi Delfini is a palace in Rieti, Italy, on Piazza Vittorio Emanuele II near the entrance to Via Cintia. Formerly known as Palazzo Vincentini, it acquired its present appearance during the long ownership of the marquises Vincentini, dukes of Montenero. Its current name comes from the surname of its last owners, who lived there in the twentieth century. The name distinguishes it from other buildings called Palazzo Dosi Delfini.
From 2006 to 2013, part of the palace housed offices of the provincial administration, which rented space from the Varrone Foundation. A branch of Cassa di Risparmio di Rieti, a local savings bank, occupied the ground floor until September 2018. Sabina Universitas, a higher-education institution based in Rieti, used the upper floors from July 2013 until spring 2022. The Varrone Foundation owns the palace, which is used for exhibitions.
Remains
The palace combines late Baroque features with some Neoclassical elements, a later style that drew on ancient Greek and Roman forms. Its exterior and interior include a decorated entrance, an elliptical courtyard, and a bronze statue.
Façade
The ground floor is faced with rusticated limestone, masonry whose blocks project visibly from the surface. At the center, a stone entrance portal is flanked by two columns that support a small balcony. The balcony is reached through the central window on the floor above. The windows on this level have small frames and pediments, shaped features above openings, except for the central window, which bears the Vincentini family coat of arms in place of a pediment.
Courtyard and interior
A small elliptical courtyard lies inside the palace. At first-floor level, a bronze statue of Saint Barbara, a Christian saint and martyr, is the work of sculptor Ernesto Troili.
