The majestic bulk of Palazzo Piccolomini, known as the Palazzo delle Papesse, was built in Florentine Renaissance style between 1460 and 1495, possibly to the design of Bernardo Rossellino. This was commissioned by Caterina Piccolomini, the Pope's sister – hence the name Papesse. This is the best example of Renaissance architecture in Siena and Alberti's influence is evident. He is best known for his design of the Palazzo Rucellai in Florence. Two rooms on the second floor still have stucco decoration and frescoes by Bernard Van Rantwyck – Storie romane e bibliche – and Marcello Sparti (1573). Other rooms display paintings taken from the Pinacoteca.
The three-storey building is laid out in a compact block, broken up by a rusticated façade which rises from the base to the first floor. The walls are softened by large arched windows divided by a central column.
Palazzo delle Papesse
The interior underwent restoration in the eighteenth century by Augusto Corbi who altered the structure in parts, radically changing the style of decoration with the drastic alterations of grotesques. However some decorative elements remain in the shape of the stone portals and ceilings decorated with fifteenth-century motifs. In 1884 it was purchased by the Banca d'Italia and underwent substantial modifications to adapt it to the new purpose.
Comune di Siena 2010 - accessible version -
