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The Castagnola family, native of Liguria, moved to Bastia in the middle of the 16th century. They quickly made a fortune in the fabrics trade as well as the operation of a tannery ,and had this comfortable mansion with a grand staircase built for themselves.

The Castagnola family, originally from Liguria, settled in Bastia in mid-16th century. Having quickly acquired wealth in the trade of fabrics and the management of a tannery, it had a comfortable residence built. This house was significantly embellished in 1606 by the podestà (mayor) Gottardo Castagnola. The Casa Castagnola is a remarkable building listed as a Historic Monument since 1993. The main façade has a door lintel surmounted with the family motto: “COL TEMPO”, meaning that time conquers everything. The vestibule is covered with a system of complex vaults resting on an isolated column. The whole is painted in a Mannerist style dating from the very early 17th century. Facing the entry, a picture represents Idmon and Mopsos in a galley steered by Apollo. The design is copied after a print published in 1608 in a collection commemorating the celebration in Florence of the wedding of the Grand Duke of Tuscany, Cosimo de Medici and the archduchess Maria Maddalena of Austria. For the purpose, the members of the Grand Duke’s Court had dressed up as characters of the Antiquity to sail in a parade on the Arno River aboard gorgeous boats. The decoration has a view of the Italian city of Loretto, copied after a print published in Venice in 1559. What is also to be noticed is a scene of bull-fighting, illustrating the old tradition of so called “caccia dei tori”, or “buffalata”, which was organized in Siena, Rome and Venice.

Bastia

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