The marchioness Giovanna Guidi da Bagno, also, by marriage countess D'Arco wished in her will that the family residence and its collections were to become an open Museum, for the benefit of the town and of the cultural world.
The Palazzo d'Arco, with its imposing neoclassical façade, its yard and "exedra", was rebuilt in 1784 by the architect Antonio Colonna for a cadet branch of the noble family d'Arco, counts in the Trentino district. A member of this family came to Mantua in 1740, having inherited the residence of the family Chieppio, a noble Mantuan clan. The count Giovanni Battista Gherardo d'Arco commissioned the complete rebuilding of the palace in 1780. In 1872 the Palace was enlarged by Francesco Antonio d'Arco, who bought the neighbouring area from the marquises Dalla Valle. In it there are the garden and renaissance buildings. The facade recalls the art of Palladium and very interesting are the design of the entrance hall, the central court yard, the grand staircase and the interiors. Walking along via Portazzolo, we can notice the structure of the palace, before the renovation.
In the rooms furniture, objects, paintings are still kept in the original arrangement, as the Marchioness displayed them.
|
