Facades conservation of Ranzi Palace

Restoration facades of Ranzi Palace: history is exciting

History is an exciting field and so was our restoration project since the beginning. A restorer discovered fake marble decorations that were supposed to be lost. A photographer climbed on a 15m high scaffolding to better see the terracotta medallions and understood that they had a (political) agenda. Two architects and member of the Regional Trust wrote their first book about history of architecture. This book was presented at the Vittoriano for the 150th anniversary of the Unification of Italy exhibition. The same book was acquired by the national libraries of Rome and Florence, and also published on Wikipedia.

Restoration facades of Ranzi Palace: a dream to realize

Ranzi Palace is located in the city center of Trento and it is one of the most important town’s buildings, it has neo-Renaissance proportions and beautiful terracotta decorations that adorn the facades. The palace was built in 1862 by Francesco Ranzi, an enlightened entrepreneur, in place of a sumac mill and a Romanesque tower. The main facade overlooks Piazza S. Maria Maggiore, whereas the secondary one, which is narrower, faces Via A. Rosmini. Ranzi Palace’s popular name, palaz da le teste, derives from the presence of fifteen terracotta high reliefs by the sculptor Andrea Malfatti, portraying the most famous Trentino artists and intellectuals from the Renaissance to the late nineteenth century.
The facade has four levels, which decrease in high from the bottom to the top, and it is divided vertically by pillars: this create symmetry, which highlights the main entrance to the city center. This door is decorated with more sophisticated ornaments than the others.
On the ground floor there are round-arched doors, on the first and second floor round-arched lancet windows, while, on the top floor mullioned windows low arched. On the crowning element, under the lintel, there are some oculi, in line with the openings on the lower levels.
The client wanted to restore only the facades and the common areas.

Restoration facades of Ranzi Palace: our project between architecture, restoration, historic research and construction

The restoration, also supported by an historical research, published in the book “Palazzo Ranzi un cantiere alle soglie d’Italia”, implied fixing plasters and cleaning, reinforcing and protecting all sculptures and stones. Noteworthy are the discovered faux marble friezes on the facade facing Piazza S. Maria Maggiore on the ground floor, around the heads in terracotta nerby the arches, and along Via A. Rosmini, in the trabeation of the eaves.