«Possino tante belle curiosità vedersi, prima che in Torino, in Firenze»: relazioni tra Medici e Savoia nel secondo Seicento attraverso Donato Rossetti / «Possino tante belle curiosità vedersi, prima che in Torino, in Firenze» (Could such a lot of beautiful curiosities be seen in Turin earlier than in Florence ): relationships between the Medici and the Savoia during the second half of the 17th Century through Donato Rossetti

Abstract

Il saggio presenta alcuni risultati dell’indagine archivistica condotta sulle filze Savoia del fondo Mediceo del Principato dell’Archivio di Stato di Firenze. I documenti, letti criticamente e selezionati attraverso una prospettiva storico artistica, permettono di mettere in luce nuovi aspetti della figura dell’ingegnere livornese Donato Rossetti, il quale svolge il ruolo di intermediario informativo artistico tra Torino e Firenze. Attraverso suoi dispacci da Torino e missive inviate da Francesco Bondicchi da Milano a Firenze emergono sia alcuni aspetti inediti delle relazioni tra le due corti, sia il rapporto biunivoco tra centri e periferie che si precisa nel corso del Seicento. A metà secolo il ruolo di modello svolto da Firenze fa sentire ancora la propria influenza al di fuori dei confini del granducato e contemporaneamente Firenze guarda con vivo interesse alla scena artistica e urbanistica torinese.

Relations between the Savoia and the Florentine court were very intense during the early modern age. Almost every day, diplomatics and residents in the Savoia court sent letters and avvisi to Florence by revealing interesting details on the everyday life and by shedding light on a range of relevant political, diplomatic, familiar and artistic dynamics. Florentine ambassadors’ or intermediaries’ reports - such as Donato Rossetti’s letters - focus on the first concern of the Savoia court, after settling in Turin, that was to build a fortified citadel and to redraw the plan of the city. During my systematic analysis of Florentine court documents at the Florence State Archive, I uncovered compelling evidence of these intricate affairs regarding the rebuilding of Turin, and these unpublished documents shed new light both on the expansion of the city and on relations between Savoia and Medici courts. This paper provide evidence to suggest that Florence was considered by the Savoy Court as the leading innovator in visual arts and architecture, and that Turin was viewed in Florence as a model for city planning. The development of close relations between the two cities can be attributed mainly to the diplomatic and cultural activities of Donato Rossetti in Turin on behalf of the Florentine court.