Bob's in Italy: What Hath We Wrought? (Keeping Count)

We've acquired a renaissance palace . . . okay, really just four rooms of the Palazzo dei Conti Roverizio di Roccasterone.

Entrance to the Portico of the Palace

The "palace" was built around the late 16th, early 17th century* and was occupied by Giovanni Maria Pianavia who was made "Count of Roccastarone" by Amedeo II of Sardinia in 1722. It's quite possible that Giovanni never even saw the small hamlet of Roccasterone, north of Nice, but being of noble birth he had to have a title after-all!

Portico and three of our "windows"

Its history is rather dubious, most of it; rumored. It sat for more than a hundred years before Giovanni Maria was made Count, so who were its original occupants? Ceriana has no tangible records of the Count and we've yet to uncover any renderings of what the place might have looked like in its heyday. Perhaps it was a refuge of sorts of the Pianavia's or Roverizio's?

Grand Staircase

"Neptune" greets all visitors to the palace

In the Sanremo library I found reference pinning the Pianavia family to Pigna, a terme (thermal spa town) nearby. The fact that Giovanni Maria Pianavia became Conte Roverizio di Roccasterone, leaves me a bit confused; nevertheless, I found a listing of the family holdings to include: a "Palazzo" in Sanremo (Palazzo Roverizio still exists); and a "Castello" in Ceriana.

Now I ask, "did we buy rooms in a palace (palazzo) or a castle (castello)?" Well, at this point, we bought a project (progetto) that will keep us occupied for some time; perhaps a century or two.

More to come. . .