GUADAGNI
PALACE
| On the
front side, along the eastern side of the square, the
Dei family built a Palace of three floors with a beautiful
covered terrace by Cronaca, who also designed the vestibule
of the sacristy of the Church of Santo Spirito.The Palace,
whose original facades were decorated with white graffiti
on an iron-grey background - perhaps by Andrea del Sarto
- was later purchased by the Guadagni family and still
bears their name. |
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| Before
the 16" century, that is before the building of some palaces,
the eastern side of the square was taken up by modest
dwellings. The ground floors often had wooden shelves
and benches around the The square was often used to celebrate
religious festivities, as for instance during Whit Sunday
to commemorate the descent of the Holy Spirit on the Virgin
and the Apostles. To celebrate this event, fires were
lit in the square, in the Church and on the bell tower.
St. Augustine's feast day was celebrated with tournaments,
a palio in the neighbouring streets. A solemn procession
was held on the Patron Saint's Day. In November, the square
was used for the celebrations of the "Gran Festa della
Palla Grossa ", which probably was a football game. In
addition to official commemorations and festivals, the
square was also used for several games and more specifically
for the famous game of "Pallottole", that became so popular
that the authorities decided to forbid it. |
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