In Città di Castello you can visit a... renaissance sauna

The restoration of the so-called “stufetta” in Palazzo Vitelli in Città di Castello has been completed, so the local Pinacoteca Comunale has one more room to visit. And it is a very important room, because the stufetta is one of the rare examples of... “sauna” or “spa” of the Renaissance, and there are only two others that have been preserved in their entirety in Italy (one is the one in Castel Sant’Angelo in Rome, the other the one in the Rocca Sanvitale in Fontanellato, very famous because it was frescoed by Parmigianino). The room, in particular, was equipped for hot baths and was stove-fired (hence the name by which the room is known): it was a particularly luxurious kind of room, as is also evidenced by the decoration of the walls, with scenes from the myth of Diana and Actaeon, the same as the Sanvitale stove decorated by Parmigianino in Fontanellato.

The work dates back to 1534: at the time, explained Maria Brucato, an official of the Superintendence of Umbria who was in charge of the restoration, stoves “were very common in the Roman environment, where they represented not so much a sign of pomp as of progressivism.” The building’s owner, Alessandro Vitelli, probably inspired by the Fontanellato environment, entrusted the execution of the decorations to Cristoforo Gherardi known as il Doceno (Sansepolcro, 1508 - 1556). The stove, however, did not hold its functions for long. In fact, over time, continues Brucato, “the room was decommissioned and changed its destination. However, an important part of the decorations, thanks to the work done by restorer Giuliano Guerri, have come to light and we have been able to reconstruct the stufetta in its three elements, the boiler with the water system, the dressing room and the tub or pool in which the Vitelli family bathed.”

The restoration, which had long been necessary due to the state of conservation of the environment (the first surveys date back as far as 1983) was made possible thanks to the support of the Rotary Club of Città di Castello. The president, Silvia Mercati, expressed her contentment with the “work accomplished on behalf of the whole club for enriching our artistic heritage, once again demonstrating closeness and unity with local society.”

Pictured: Palazzo Vitelli in Città di Castello, home of the Municipal Picture Gallery. Ph. Credit Stefano Giogli

In Città di Castello you can visit a... renaissance sauna

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