“The Palazzo forms a part of monumental building complex, produced in the neoclassical style that strongly characterizes the old urban center of Faenza. This is also one of the most conspicuous and complex elements both for topographical position as well as for the intrinsic value of the architecture and of the internal decorations.
“Through the merit of the various members of the Laderchi family (one of the most ancient, noble, and luminous of the city) many of the most luminous stories of Romagnola, and in particular Faenza, matured in that Palazzo, in particular the Palazzo that faces the north of the Piazza del Duomo, on the corner of Via XX Settembre and Corso Garibaldi, which was built by the brothers Counts Lodovico and Achille Laderchi in the decade between about 1780-1790. Among those who worked on this building was the Bolognese architect Francesco Tadolini (diedi 1805) who in the years between 1760-65 had already built the Church of the Dominican Fathers in Faenza, according to his design.
“The long gestation of the Palazzo Laderchi owes itself to the necessity of its being expanded two, if not three times. In fact, the Laderchi Counts were landowners of some properties situated between the course of the Porta Ravegnana and the alley that now bears their name, but among their properties, in the corner of the Piazza, there existed an ancient church that back then was dedicated to St. Biagio, but which can be found recorded since the XIII century under the name of St. Mary Guidonis. When the brothers Ludovico and Achille Laderchi decided, around 1780, to renovate and expand their house on the course of Porta Ravegnana, perhaps they already thought they would be able to take possession of the area of the church and reconstruct the entire corner near the Piazza; in that case they would have already hired a planner for their Palazzo at Tadolini.
“It is certain that in 1781 negotiations had already begun with the Parish of St. Biagio to transfer the church into the opposite corner, that which is near the alley still named after St. Stefona, inherited from the abolished Manfredian church on Corso Mazzini. The old church of St. Biagio was demolished in 1784, when the new one was already standing in an area of old houses and so, having obtained the area to expand their Palazzo, the Laderchis began the second phase of wall construction, parting from the entrance hall on the course of Porta Ravegnana that seems to re-enter the area of the old house.
“The internal work of systematizing the grand gallery and some of the adjoining locations (the area of the old St. Biagio) were taken up again instead in the years 1791-1793; the plastering of the walls and the finishing on the vault ended a a few months before Il Giani came to Faenza to commence (May 1794) his decorating. In later times, which cannot be precisely indicated, the Laderchis had il Giani and his associates arrange and decorate the group of environments that form the crown above the office dedicated to Astronomy, in the transept of the entrance hall below the scalloping, the transept that forms part of the old house inhabited during the expansions on the Palazzo. While the wall-work on the Tadolini project must have concluded in 1790, il Giani and Associates would have all been included in the 1794-1801 period.
“In fact, in 1802 Il Giani began work on Palazzo Milzetti…
“Concerning then the architect that would have succeeded il Tadolini in the planning of the interior of the noble apartments, we must speak of Gian Antonio Antolini, who became intimate with the House Laderchi and had been Giani’s master and friend at Rome.
“Some environments were then planned and decorated all throughout the first half of the 1800’s, but these were secondary environments, saving one (now divided diagonally), which is adjacent to the oval Astronomy office and presents particular interest beyond that of art, due to the historical economic city iconography. This is concerning the decoration of the two small crescents, executed during 1848, in which were reproduced the scenes of two villas of the Laderchis; that of the Prati (the 18th-century building still exists beyond the Lamone loop where it meets Marzeno) and that of Prada, completely destroyed at the beginning of this century, which was then portrayed along with the famous steam-powered English windmill — the second plant in Italy and the first and only in the pontifical state — that was cross and delight to Count Francesco 6/XII, one of the bravest and brightest men of the Romagna Revolution, whose motto was “Advance in Civilization”. (Author’s note: There is more written on the steam-powered windmill following.)
“The three chambers on the course that bear baroque decorations of the Bolognese type, are a type of important remainder of the old house and were respected during Tadolini’s work and in later systemizations of the old house that occurred during or shortly after the middle of the XVIII century. (Taken from the report “Our Italy” on the historic Palazzo Laderchi)
“The two facades of the Palazzo Laderchi, which have no quality of style, are the external sides of the Palazzo which, in its interior contains decorations worthy of note.
“The imperial style triumphs. The walls and ceilings of the grand gallery, of the small rectangular salons, and of the oval salons are adorned with highly elegant friezes, cameos, and bas-reliefs. In the gallery the imaginative Felice Giani expresses in many compositions the entire story of Love and Psyche. They are paintings that occupy different panels of the great ceiling, executed with an impetuosity of touch and profound expression. The plasters on the walls, graceful symbolic compositions, are the master works of Antonio Trentanove, while the tufts of flower and festoons of fruit tied with multicolored ribbons are the patient work of Ugolini.” (From the volume Faenza in History and Art by Messeri Calzi, Edited by Tipografia Sociale Faentina 1909.)
That which follows is an extract from a letter written by Cesare Ruggeri Laderchi to his sister Nora Klein, May 29, 1968:
“The Palazzo Laderchi is a complex more grand and important that I believed. It was constructed with horses in 1800: it has two spacious courtyards and two facades, the shorter one on the Piazza Principale, the longer on Corso Garibaldi. In the body is joined an old church reconstructed by the Laderchi at the other end of the Palazzo. From one window, now walled over, the Laderchis had the right to assist in religious functions. One of the stones in the wall covering the window records this fact. Another two stone are at the side of the main gate on Corso Garibaldi (formerly Via Ravenana) memorializing Count Francesco 6/XII Laderchi, who was born there in 1808, and Count Achille 4/XII, born there in 1830, father and child.
The stones say:
“In this house of the ancestors was born on August 21 1808 / The Count Francesco Laderchi / The 1831 with Sercomagni on the Via di Roma / The 1849 at Ravenna and at Forlì — he presided over the / Roman Republic in fortunate times, / Citizen, admirable magistrate, in the strong / Serenity of character, he worked, he asked / Nothing for himself, giving everything where it was needed. /Prison, exile, did not change him. / He died the 25th of December 1853, taken too early from his longed-for / Resurrection of Italy / The municipality having completed fifty years of its reclaimed liberty.
June 13, 1909”
![The stone that records that in that place there used to be a window which has since been walled over, and the the Palazzo Laderchi looked out over the church of St. Stefano, constructed by Ludovico 10/III. “Deo Optimo Maximo Ludovico Laderchi having upraised his own dwelling at the site of the old temple that he reconstructed at great expense more richly adorned, obtained in the year 1783 [the right] to open the window and assist from there in the perpetual sacred offices, the right to open his threshold having been denied.”](https://ruggeri-laderchi.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/i37.jpg?w=860&h=645)
[Continuing Cesare’s letter:]
“The walls are also painted. The long side of the Salon is divided into square panels, from the floor to the ceiling, of the most precious plasters, in bas-relief, of a cream color. These stripes are in groups of two, distant from one another by about two meters while the distance between every group of two is six meters. Between the panels distant from one another by two meters, tufts and festoons of flowers and fruit, bound by multicolored ribbons, painted by an expert hand in soft colors. The whole conjures a great and very lordly impression. The multicolored ribbons are of a different color for every festoon. One of these is tied with tri-colored ribbons, green white and red, which proves the patriotism of Ludovico Laderchi that caused him to construct the Palazzo, but especially his courage since at the time that these decorations were made (the early 1800’s) merely referring to the colors of the Italian flag was considered proof of anarchy and rebellion.
“The original pavements have probably disappeared since those existing are very poor and badly kept. In general the whole Palazzo is very abandoned. It is owned by the public domain, now in consignment to the Commune. During fascism it was the seat of the Fasces; then it housed some schools. Now the Palazzo is closed and every now and then they set up exhibitions. There is now in place a plan to re-modernize it all, enhancing the front part of he Palazzo while still maintaining its 19th-century character and at the same time demolishing portions of the building that for their own part contribute nothing to the building’s monumental character. The courtyards of the Palazzo would become some public squares, and the demolished portions would give life to a modern factory with stores, offices, meeting rooms, and public services.
“The other photographs that I am enclosing, including other rooms and other ceilings, I photographed them all. Particularly characteristic was the so-called Marchesa’s chamber, with a niche for the bed and, painted, a light and airy veil, and the Astronomy room which is oval with good paintings on the walls and ceiling. Finally, in a small salon, there are two lunettes, which, while the paint is rather dilapidated, depict the Laderchi properties in Prati and in Prada.”
The Ruggeri-Laderchi Family 