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Palazzo Chigi in Viterbo: a Renaissance courtyard with a medieval tower
In the heart of Viterbo, Palazzo Chigi (formerly Palazzo Caetani) is a private residence overlooking Via Chigi and Via Ganfione. It was commissioned by Carlo Caetani, an alum merchant from Pisa who obtained Viterbo citizenship in 1473. It incorporated pre-existing buildings and introduced a Tuscan Renaissance style. Upon his death, inheritance disputes led to the property being purchased by Francesco Chigi, who in turn passed it on to the Egidi family, who still own it today.
One courtyard, two families, many coats of arms
The inner courtyard is the most striking part: an L-shaped portico supported by peperino columns, with an upper loggia, where the coats of arms of the Caetani and Chigi families coexist. In the shrine (aedicule) beneath the portico, there is a Madonna and Child by Antonio del Massaro, known as Il Pastura, a Viterbo painter of the late 15th century.
The frescoed rooms
On the main floor (piano nobile), the Hall of Aphrodite and the Hall of St Paul feature frescoes with hunting scenes and grotesques attributed to Antonio Tempesta. Since 2023, the ground floor has hosted the Muzio Clementi Music Association.
