maffei palace

Palazzo Maffei is one of the most spectacular and photographed buildings in Verona, located on the north side of Piazza delle Erbe. Built in the 17th century in Baroque style, this palace stands out for its monumental three-storey facade crowned by a balustrade with statues of Greek mythological deities silhouetted against the sky: Jupiter, Venus, Mercury, Apollo, Minerva and Hercules seem to watch over the square below.

In 2022, after a long and careful restoration, Palazzo Maffei opened its doors to the public as a house museum, offering visitors the opportunity to admire not only the splendid frescoes and Baroque interior decorations, but also a prestigious collection of modern and contemporary art ranging from Futurism to the 2000s. This combination of historic architecture and contemporary art makes Palazzo Maffei a unique place in the Veronese cultural landscape.

Construction in the seventeenth-century baroque

Palazzo Maffei was built between 1626 and 1668 on commission of the Maffei family, one of the wealthiest and most powerful Veronese noble families. The architect who designed the palace remains uncertain, but the stylistic features suggest the influence of Venetian Baroque masters who worked under the Republic of Venice. The Maffei family wanted a residence that would bear witness to their social prestige, and they chose the most scenic location possible: the north side of Piazza delle Erbe, the ancient Roman forum and commercial heart of the city.

Construction took over forty years due to the architectural complexity and decorative richness.

The palace was built on medieval pre-existing structures, incorporating older structures into the foundations. The Venetian Baroque style characterises the entire facade: elaborate windows with sculpted cornices, balconies with wrought-iron railings, plastic decorations that create plays of light and shadow on the wall surface. The noble floor, intended for the family, occupied the second floor and was equipped with frescoed halls, richly decorated rooms and all the comforts of the time.

The facade of Palazzo Maffei is a spectacle of Baroque architecture that immediately catches the eye. It is articulated on three floors with windows alternating between architraved and arched, decorated with elaborate cornices and mascarons. The ground floor features an arched portico that opens onto the square, today housing shops and restaurants.

The ochre and pink colour of the facade, recently restored, returns the original seventeenth-century appearance.

But the most characteristic and iconic element of the palace is the top balustrade with the six statues of Greek deities sculpted in white Lessinia stone. These Baroque sculptures depict: Jupiter with the lightning bolt, Venus with the mirror, Mercury with the winged caduceus, Apollo with the lyre, Minerva with helmet and spear, and Hercules with the club. The statues, more than two metres tall, were made by Venetian sculptors in the second half of the 17th century and represent an iconographic cycle that celebrates the virtues of the Maffei family through the classical deities.

In front of the palace stands the Column of Saint Mark, surmounted by the Venetian winged lion, erected in 1523 as a symbol of the rule of the Serenissima over Verona.

The column and the palace together create one of the most photographed views of the city, especially when the statues on the balustrade stand out against the blue sky or are illuminated in the evening.

For over three centuries, Palazzo Maffei remained the residence of the family that had it built, witness to generations of Veronese nobles and city aristocratic life. During the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, part of the palace was divided into apartments and the ground floor housed commercial activities, while the noble floor maintained its residential use although with owners different from the original family.

The building was bought in 2008 by the Carlon Foundation, created by the Veronese entrepreneur and collector Luigi Carlon with the aim of creating a museum that would unite ancient and contemporary art. A long and accurate restoration followed that lasted over ten years and brought to light hidden frescoes, original floors, coffered ceilings and all the Baroque decorations that time and subsequent renovations had covered or damaged.

In March 2022, Palazzo Maffei finally opened to the public as a house museum, presenting a permanent collection of over 350 works of art ranging from Futurism to the 2000s.

The collection includes works by masters such as Picasso, De Chirico, Burri, Fontana, Klimt and many others, creating an extraordinary dialogue between the Baroque architecture of the palace and modern and contemporary art. The museum project has been curated to maintain the atmosphere of a noble residence, where the works of art are displayed in the same rooms where the Maffei family once lived.