A palazzo on the Arno River

Photographs and text by Marc Levoy
September 29, 1998

Our laboratory is housed in the Palazzo Bargagli-Petrucci on the south side of the Arno River ("the Altr'Arno") in Florence. This imposing edifice, originally called the Palazzo Tempi, was built in the 15th century, enlarged in the 17th, partially destroyed during World War II, and reconstructed in the late 1940's.

The palazzo faces the Arno River. The view from its windows include the famed Ponte Vecchio, topped by Vasari's corridor...

...and the Uffizi Galleries, with its unmatched collections of Renaissance art. A private skulling club launches its boats from the dock in the foreground.

The palazzo is fronted by a small square, Piazza Santa Maria Sopr'Arno. A narrow road, Costa di Magnoli, tunnels through the palazzo (just to the left of center in the photograph) and climbs into the hills behind the city. The entrance to our half of the palazzo is visible at the right side of the arch over this road.

Our laboratory is housed on the ground floor of the palazzo. Here is our doorbell. The 1st through 3rd floors of the building (2nd through 4th floors according to American reckoning) contain other offices, including those of the Stanford University Overseas Studies Center. The Contessa Bargagli, a direct descendent of the original family, lives on the 4th floor.

Our laboratory consists of two large rooms and several smaller rooms. These rooms were built and decorated in the late 17th century, as evidenced by the daring vaulting, baroque window frames, and elaborate frescoes. This photograph shows the central fresco from the ceiling of the largest room. This room will house our gantries when they are not in one of the city's museums.

Included among the decorations on the ceiling are the monograms "MT" and "T". These belong to Marco Tempo, the Florentine nobleman who built this part of the palazzo.

Connected to our rooms is a unique underground grotto filled with grotesque carvings and statues. Although we can look into this chamber through a grilled doorway, we are forbidden by Count Bargagli to open the door. The marble busts in the corners are of his ancestors.

On the day these pictures were taken (September 17), our furniture had not yet arrived. The rooms were bare. Click here to see what the rooms look like as a computer graphics laboratory.

webmaster@graphics.stanford.firenze.it

	Our laboratory is housed in the Palazzo Bargagli-Petrucci on the south side of the Arno River ("the Altr'Arno") in Florence. This imposing edifice, originally called the Palazzo Tempi, was built in the 15th century, enlarged in the 17th, partially destroyed during World War II, and reconstructed in the late 1940's.
	The palazzo faces the Arno River. The view from its windows include the famed Ponte Vecchio, topped by Vasari's corridor...
	...and the Uffizi Galleries, with its unmatched collections of Renaissance art. A private skulling club launches its boats from the dock in the foreground.
	The palazzo is fronted by a small square, Piazza Santa Maria Sopr'Arno. A narrow road, Costa di Magnoli, tunnels through the palazzo (just to the left of center in the photograph) and climbs into the hills behind the city. The entrance to our half of the palazzo is visible at the right side of the arch over this road.
	Our laboratory is housed on the ground floor of the palazzo. Here is our doorbell. The 1st through 3rd floors of the building (2nd through 4th floors according to American reckoning) contain other offices, including those of the Stanford University Overseas Studies Center. The Contessa Bargagli, a direct descendent of the original family, lives on the 4th floor.
	Our laboratory consists of two large rooms and several smaller rooms. These rooms were built and decorated in the late 17th century, as evidenced by the daring vaulting, baroque window frames, and elaborate frescoes. This photograph shows the central fresco from the ceiling of the largest room. This room will house our gantries when they are not in one of the city's museums.
	Included among the decorations on the ceiling are the monograms "MT" and "T". These belong to Marco Tempo, the Florentine nobleman who built this part of the palazzo.
	Connected to our rooms is a unique underground grotto filled with grotesque carvings and statues. Although we can look into this chamber through a grilled doorway, we are forbidden by Count Bargagli to open the door. The marble busts in the corners are of his ancestors.
	On the day these pictures were taken (September 17), our furniture had not yet arrived. The rooms were bare. Click here to see what the rooms look like as a computer graphics laboratory.