Palazzo Antinori
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At one end of the elegant Via Tornabuoni sits the medieval Palazzo Spini-Ferroni, home to Ferragamo since the early 20th century, but at the other end of this historically fashionable street sits the real anchor of Florentine style: Palazzo Antinori. The Neapolitan cobbler may represent Italian post-war business acumen, but the Antinori have been defining Italian taste for nearly a millennium. This venerable wine-making family continues to occupy and operate from their 15th-century residential seat.
Designed by Giuliano da Maiano circa 1465, the building is arguably the most refined example of Renaissance palace architecture in all of Italy. Familiar yet strikingly original, prominent yet reserved, the façade will stop you in your tracks. You’ll stare, unabashedly, at its smooth glowing surface, quietly punctuated by delicate nuances of Renaissance design: elegantly carved stringcourses echo the more imposing cornice and street bench that crown and ground the palazzo; a dozen rounded windows, each flanked by wrought-iron ceremonial torch-holders, frame the handsome coat-of-arms, distinguished by a harlequin-like diamond pattern. So seductive is the surface of this façade that you may overlook the obvious: the front door is asymmetrical, placed off-center because the patron desired an uninterrupted view of Brunelleschi’s dome, but who can blame him?
Now, step through the massive wooden portal (you’re allowed, Monday through Friday): revel in the impeccable courtyard (I have been known to twirl through the colonnade), dream about the decadent parties that must have taken place in the back garden, and imagine what excitement still unfolds in the private quarters upstairs. No doubt you will require mild sedation. Pull your Stendhal Syndrome-inflicted self together and stagger into the Cantinetta Antinori, conveniently located there on the ground floor, and revive with the family elixir. My tip: indulge in Lodovico Antinori’s newest wines from his estate in Bibbona. And while you’re at it, order anything and everything off the classic Tuscan menu. Before you know it, you’ll be sufficiently satiated; no better time to cater to your heart’s desire for a little something or two down the road at Ferragamo.
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