Palazzo Farnese

The construction of Palazzo Farnese is due to the Duchess of Parma Margherita of Austria, wife of Ottavio Farnese. She, choosing to live in Piacenza rather than Parma, commissioned a residence to celebrate the greatness of the Farnese family. In 1558 the architect Francesco Paciotto from Urbino designed a palace built on the foundations of the old Visconti castle near the river Po. The works, however, proceeded with difficulty due to the absence of the architect and lack of funds. Then, Jacopo Barozzi, known as Il Vignola, was called to complete the work. The fame of the latter had grown after Cardinal Alessandro Farnese had entrusted him with the construction of his villa in Caprarola. Palazzo Farnese, today, is home to the Civic Museums. A wooden model kept inside them shows how the complex would have been if Vignola's project had seen the light. Although there were oratory rooms, the project did not include the chapel that was then built towards the end of the '500 under the duchy of Ranuccio I. It is said that the Ducal Chapel was decorated with majestic tapestries and carpets during important ceremonies of the Farnese family. Finally, the history of Palazzo Farnese is marked by the discovery of the Secret Rooms during the seventies of the twentieth century.