The Palazzo Donati De' Conti, formerly Albergoni, Vimercati, is a

palace A palace is a large residence, often serving as a royal residence or the home for a head of state or another high-ranking dignitary, such as a bishop or archbishop. The word is derived from the Latin name palātium, for Palatine Hill in Rome whi ...

in Crema.

History

The origins of the palace are unknown, but the documented history from the 17th century is characterised by frequent changes of ownership.AA.VV. p. 17 . The first known information dates back to 1663 when Doctor Mario Albergoni, descendant of a family ennobled in 1519, lived in the property. Upon his death the property passed to his brother, Canon Camillo and from him to Cristoforo Zurla who married an Albergoni heiress, adding his wife's surname and giving life to the Zurla Albergoni branch. Cristoforo's son, Marc’Antonio Maria, died childless in

1757 Events January–March * January 2 – Seven Years' War: The British East India Company Army, under the command of Robert Clive, captures Calcutta, India. * January 5 – Robert-François Damiens makes an unsuccessful assa ...

so the mansion was inherited by his second wife, Isabella Vimercati Sanseverino. When Isabella died in

1774 Events January–March * January 21 – Mustafa III, Sultan of the Ottoman Empire, dies and is succeeded by his brother Abdul Hamid I. * January 27 ** An angry crowd in Boston, Massachusetts seizes, tars, and feathers British customs ...

, the palace passed to her brother Ferdinando who, the following year, sold it to Antonio Bislieri. He held it for very few years, selling it in

1781 Events January–March * January – William Pitt the Younger, later Prime Minister of Great Britain, enters Parliament of Great Britain, Parliament, aged 21. * January 1 – Industrial Revolution: The Iron Bridge opens ...

to Giuseppe Vimercati; he too owned it only for a short time: in

1788 Events January–March * January 1 – The first edition of ''The Times'', previously ''The Daily Universal Register'', is published in London. * January 2 – Georgia ratifies the United States Constitution, and becomes the fourth U.S ...

he sold it to Bartolomeo Bettinzoli. From

1868 Events January * January 2 – British Expedition to Abyssinia: Robert Napier, 1st Baron Napier of Magdala, Robert Napier leads an expedition to free captive British officials and missionaries. * January 3 – The 15-year-old Mutsu ...

onwards, various owners alternated who used the palazzo for both residential and office purposes until reaching, in the 20th century, the Donati De' Conti.Matteo Facchi. Palazzo Albergoni, Vimercati, Donati – Taccuino Cremasco
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Characteristics

Crema-palazzo-donati-albergoni-vimercati-1

The palace is composed of several bodies. The one facing Via Vimercati is very linear, arranged on two levels with a double string-course cornice and openings with simple cornices. The entrance hall has flooring in terracotta tiles with trottatoie and wooden ceiling; along the right wall is, curiously enough, a

millstone Millstones or mill stones are stones used in gristmills, used for triturating, crushing or, more specifically, grinding wheat or other grains. They are sometimes referred to as grindstones or grinding stones. Millstones come in pairs: a s ...

walled in; the entrance leads to a

portico A portico is a porch leading to the entrance of a building, or extended as a colonnade, with a roof structure over a walkway, supported by columns or enclosed by walls. This idea was widely used in ancient Greece and has influenced many cu ...

with three forts with

round arch In architecture, a semicircular arch is an arch with an intrados (inner surface) shaped like a semicircle. This type of arch was adopted and very widely used by the Romans, thus becoming permanently associated with Roman architecture. Termino ...

es and

column A column or pillar in architecture and structural engineering is a structural element that transmits, through compression, the weight of the structure above to other structural elements below. In other words, a column is a compression member ...

s of

Ionic order The Ionic order is one of the three canonic classical order, orders of classical architecture, the other two being the Doric order, Doric and the Corinthian order, Corinthian. There are two lesser orders: the Tuscan order, Tuscan (a plainer Doric) ...

resting on stone

plinth A pedestal or plinth is a support at the bottom of a statue, vase, column, or certain altars. Smaller pedestals, especially if round in shape, may be called socles. In civil engineering, it is also called ''basement''. The minimum height o ...

s. Three windows rest on the stringcourse cornice. Crema-palazzo-donati-albergoni-vimercati-3

The eastern wing is the one containing the

staircase A stairwell or stair room is a room in a building where a stair is located, and is used to connect walkways between floors so that one can move in height. Collectively, a set of stairs and a stairwell is referred to as a staircase or stairway ...

that ascends to the upper floor with three flights and is illuminated by a helical window in the vault. It has a decorative ocentury apparatus with musical instruments, grotesques, real and fantasy animals, plants. Beyond the courtyard, an opening leads to a garden nestled between surrounding buildings.

References

Bibliography

Italian sources

* AA.VV., Cortili aperti, 2009. * W. Terni De Gregori, Le antiche Vicinie di Crema, in «L'Italia Contemporanea», Crema, 1949, n. 9 p. 5. * M. Perolini, Vicende degli edifici monumentali e storici di Crema, 1975, pp. 377–378. * M. Perolini, Vicende degli edifici monumentali e storici di Crema, 2 a ed. rivista dall'autore, Crema, 1995, pp. 397–398. * R. Borio Di Tigliole – C. M. DeL Grande, Blasonario cremasco. Nobili e Notabili Famiglie della Città di Crema, Montichiari, 1999, pp. 37–38. {{refend

External links

Palazzo Donati
(già Albergoni, Vimercati)