I first visited Florence in September 2001 as a student in the Stanford in Florence program. At that time, the program was housed in half of the third floor of a Palazzo near the Ponte Vecchio. Now, the Stanford program is in a much larger space in the Palazzo of the Capponi family, which they built in 1408. Members of the family has continuously occupied this space since then, the only Florentine family to do so. The assistant director of the program for the past 15 years, Fosca, graciously meet us and gave us the VIP tour. I didn't know what to expect but all I can say is I would love being a student again. You must imagine a 15th Century building renovated with historical preservation in mind and modernized to meet Stanford's technological needs.
Some cool things we learned on our tour:
- The courtyard of the whole palazzo is attributed to Brunelleschi between 1408 and 1411.
- The film Hannibal with Anthony Hopkins was filmed in the apartment Stanford now occupies, this included his role a curator of the Caponni family library.
- The grand piano in one of the three ballrooms, played by Hopkins in the movie, came from Milan and was played by Franz Liszt.
A real knight in shining armor
The Caponni family crest:
Doesn't everyone have silk walls and 15th century Murano glass chandeliers?
The stunning views from the terrace
The courtyard attributed to Brunelleschi
A no Italian day is complete without Spritz
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