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This house is one of Bastia's largest palaces. It was extended time and again by the Caraffa family. It is richly decorated and includes one of the most beautiful librairies in the city.

he façade of the palace, which was built in three successive periods has been unified by a long cornice on the top. To-day, it stretches on a width of thirteen window bays, which makes it the biggest façade of the palazzi in Bastia. The original nucleus - in three window bays - is a house which was built in 1612 by the Petroni family. Towards 1680, Anton Bastiano Caraffa, a wealthy person of standing made the acquisition of a great part of the building. He had it raised, and arranged sumptuous apartments in the top floor. In 1775 the palazzo was once more extended by Count Jean-Baptiste de Caraffa, a knight of the Order of Saint Louis. The massive balconies, supported by powerful stone corbels, placed at the two ends of the façade, date back from that time. In the 17th and 18th centuries, the street along the palazzo was the main axis of the city. In the ground floor of the building, there were well-known shops with luxury goods and elegant silk fabrics. In the back, there was a tannery which was an important source of income for the Caraffa family. The main saloon is a large room in the Italian style, the vault of which is in trompe-l’oeil. It accommodates one of the finest libraries in the city. In the next room a private chapel has been arranged. Towards 1775, it was decorated in the Louis XV style. The Wurtemberg sitting-room, with its vault painted towards 1840, is also remarkable. That room was used as a bed-room for Duke Frédéric Louis de Wurtemberg, when he was the guest of the Caraffa family, in 1732.

Bastia

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