Interior view

The Palazzo Affaitati was built for Gian Carlo Affaitati in 1561-70. Affaitati belonged to a wealthy family of bankers and merchants who supported with their own money the war of Charles V against the Dutch, to get in exchange for a marquisate in Flanders and the county of Soresina. The palace was built by Francesco Dattaro, called Pizzafuoco (c. 1495-before 1576), who and his son Giuseppe were the principle architects in Cremona in the sixteenth century.

The interiors of the palace have been repeatedly renovated. The works that led to the monumental staircase leading to the main floor began in 1746 following a design by Antonio Arrighi. The palace now houses the Museo Civico “Ala Ponzone.”

The tradition of monumental staircases was continued in Bologna right to the end of the seventeenth century, but in other cities near Bologna several splendid examples may also be found. A climax is reached in the largest and most complex of all, that of the Palazzo Affaitati at Cremona, made by an otherwise unknown architect, Antonio Arrighi.

The photo shows the scenic staircase.

View the ground plan of Palazzo Affaitati, Cremona.