The Palace that housed the royal court of France of years
GRAND HOTEL ENTOURAGE
In today's Piazza S. Antonio, formerly the Schönhaus on the southern slopes of the castle hill of Gorizia, stands the 16th century palace of the Strassoldo family, one of the oldest and most famous in all of Friuli.
During the seventeenth century the building was affected by renovations and later in the last quarter of the eighteenth century an enlargement was provided which advanced the factory line up to the level of the nearby house in Piazza Cavour. The interior spaces were modified as well as the size and elevation that assumed the typical features of the eighteenth-century measure, inside the center of the court there was a round flowerbed and a well, still well preserved today.
The noble residence is immersed in an atmosphere of refined tranquility, the main façade is regulated by a small central attic with three windows, to its sides, two pilasters support a tympanum inside which the family crest is set. A sober prospect but of relevant dimensional impact if considered in relation to the space in front that in the first decades of the XIX, after the demolition of the ancient walls of what remained of the old Franciscan convent, was inserted in a special scenario constituted by a colonnade that still today it embraces the three sides of Piazza S. Antonio.
On the ground floor the large entrance was frescoed with marble-like decorations of which two fragments are currently preserved. The noble floor of the building consisted of 15 rooms reachable from the sixteenth-century stairway with four ramps, square in shape, located on the left side of the entrance hall.
In the autumn of the third decade of the nineteenth century this Palace and the city of Gorizia, considered at the time the "Austrian Nice", witnessed a historical event that resonated throughout Europe, Charles X of Bourbon, king of France arrived in city, and the royal court of France settled in Palazzo Strassoldo. Following the death of the old King the Duke of Angoulême Luigi Antonio, with the name of Count of Marnes accepted the royal title and Palazzo Strassoldo became the meeting place for many French guests including the legitimists who recognized in this family the true heirs of the Throne of France. The Royals actively participated in the cultural and worldly activities of the city and their life was spent occupied by official audiences and private receptions in favor of foreign guests or citizens of Gorizia.
The halls of Palazzo Strassoldo hosted artistic events including the concert of the Venetian pianist Enrico Angeli held in October 1843. Queen Maria Teresa Carlotta (nicknamed Madame Royale) occupied the corner room of the first floor between the square and the garden which it reached directly from its apartments. After the last farewell to King Louis XIX, who was also buried alongside Charles X in the crypt of the church of the nearby convent of Castagnavizza, the queen moved her residence to Austria. With the departure of the Bourbons from Gorizia, a period also closed for the Palace, which would soon welcome the original owners of the Strassoldo family. The renovation that led to the opening of the Grand Hotel Entourage was carried out with great attention and passion for the history of this Palace and, thanks also to the contribution of the Chamber of Commerce of Gorizia, in the early 21st century the hotel began to welcome the first guests.
Today the refinement of these unique environments is skilfully mixed with the elegant and discreet service of a charming hotel.
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GRAND HOTEL ENTOURAGE
CONTACTS
0481 1988060
Piazza S. Antonio, 2 - 34170 Gorizia
info@hotelentourage.it