Saturday 25 May, with appointment and departure at 9.45 am from Piazzetta Don Pietro Garbin, in front of the Church of San Biagio, Forlì, Gabriele Zelli will lead a walk to discover the green places and courtyards of the historic center. The itinerary of the walk will be as follows: garden of Palazzo Monsignani, courtyard of Palazzo Sassi Masini, garden of Orselli, courtyard of Palazzo Paulucci Di Calboli.
Palazzo Sassi Masini, now home to a university student residence, is made up of various buildings, the merger of which can be dated to the end of the 17th century. The complex, which underwent radical renovations in the neoclassical age, is characterized by a large courtyard with an irregular fan shape with a scenographic backdrop that closes it, where a sculptural group, the “Rape of Proserpina”, a nineteenth-century work, is inserted in a niche. by Francesco Andreoli. The courtyard, which is embellished by the presence of two centuries-old wisterias that surround two facades of the building and by a fifteenth-century sundial, is closed on one side by two large arches. Palazzo Monsignani as we see it today is the result of various interventions carried out in different eras. The simplicity of the facade contrasts with some interiors which are finely decorated.
On the main floor you can admire frescoes painted by the Forlì painter Giacomo Zampa (1731-1808). During the eighteenth century the palace was enriched by a large double-volume hall, decorated by the quadraturist Angelo Zaccarini and the Forlì figure artist Antonio Belloni, to whom the tondo painted on the vault, the Celebration of Romulus, is attributed. The staircase is also interesting, partly surmounted by an umbrella vault. The palace was originally owned by the Lombardini family and then passed to the marquises Monsignani Sassatelli, who sold it in 1883. In 1912 it became the property of the Dorotee nuns and home to the school of the same name. In 1986, Pope John Paul II, during his visit to Forlì, rested in an apartment on the ground floor. Currently the entire building is home to the “Don Oreste Benzi” certified school. Towards the end of the eighteenth century and the beginning of the nineteenth century, the vast courtyard of Palazzo Monsignani was used to allow the game of ball to bracelet, which had acquired widespread popularity, to be practiced, according to the rules described in the “Particular chapters of the game of ball of Forlì”. In 1823 the General Council of the City, in the session of 9 October, decreed the construction of a Sferisterio, “… to comply with the requests of the Forlì Youth, eager beyond belief to have it, in order to practice that gymnastic game”. The Sferisterio, built to a design by the engineer Giacomo Santarelli, with money donated spontaneously by the people of Forlì, was inaugurated on Sunday 30 May 1924, exactly 200 years ago. It was one of the largest in Italy; it was located, as is known, just outside Porta Cotogni, against the city wall. In 1936 part of the land behind Palazzo Monsignani was expropriated by the municipality to extend via Episcopio up to the church of San Biagio and a new enclosure wall was built. Palazzo Paulucci de’ Calboli was built in neoclassical style in the 18th century, designed by Luigi Alberti, under the direction of the Roman architect Saverio Marini. In the large façade of the building, the central part stands out, surmounted by a large tympanum. The staircase is very interesting, embellished with two sculptural groups: Theseus with Minotaur and Hercules with Hydra. The internal courtyard is surrounded on three sides by a large portico with segmental arch vaults and is characterized by a magnolia which appears to have been planted in the 1940s.
Participation in the walk is free. It is not necessary to book. The initiative will not be held in case of rain. For information: 3311040192 (Marusca Caruso from 6pm to 8pm); 3493737026 (Gabriele Zelli). During the initiative, promoted by the Pro Forlì Storico-Artistica Committee, it will be possible to purchase, for those interested, the book “Forlì città verde”, a photographic project by Luca Massari, with an essay by Gabriele Zelli and the contribution of Fabio Berni (cost 15 euros).
