PALAZZO AVIGNONESI, 16TH-CENTURY HISTORICAL RESIDENCE

Attributed to Jacopo Barozzi, known as il Vignola, Palazzo Avignonesi was built between 1542 and 1572. Its features a façade constructed using locally sourced travertine stone and stands three levels above ground. The ground floor is covered with a ‘cushioned’ rustic stone masonry pattern characterised by horizontal linear ridges. Two magnificent lion heads are positioned either side of the central doorway above two benches that are also in travertine stone. On the main ‘piano nobile’ first floor, there are five windows with alternating triangular and semi-circular tympanums. The family coat of arms is displayed in the centre of the façade above the doorway. Inside the Palazzo, there are reception rooms with frescoes and stuccoes from the 16th century on the ground floor, while mono-chromatic 18th-century paintings of armoury adorn the walls on the first floor. Palazzo Avignonesi embodies the highly elegant style typical of an important monument built during the Tuscan Renaissance and is one of the most important buildings of 16th-century architecture in the Montepulciano region. The cellars, dating back to the 14th century, are structured in staggered levels and are constructed with round arches using either bricks or excavated from tufa stone known as ‘il Sasso di Montepulciano’, which is the monolithic rock upon which the entire town stands. A large cylindrical cistern is located beneath a Marzocco column and is visible from inside the cellars through a small window.

THE HISTORY OF PALAZZO AVIGNONESI

Palazzo Avignonesi belonged for several generations to the noble Avignonesi family since its first construction (passing to the Avignonesi Della Lucilla family in 1875). It was acquired by Cinzia Sorlini in 2017.

FACILITIES AND SERVICES: STAYING AT A HISTORICAL PALAZZO IN MONTEPULCIANO

Palazzo Avignonesi has been providing refined accommodation for travellers seeking an authentic Tuscan experience since 2020. With its convenient location in the historic centre of Montepulciano, it is ideally situated for planning beautiful visits of the whole of the Val d'Orcia region.