Tuesday, March 19, 2024
Sorrento Fine Foods
HomeArt and CultureCornelia Tasso's house

Cornelia Tasso’s house

Along Via San Nicola 11 there is one of the residences of the Sersale family.
This unlike the others retains some extra charm as it hosted Cornelia Tasso, sister of the famous Torquato and wife of Marzio Sersale.
In July 1577 Torquato Tasso, after escaping from the castle of Ferrara, in which he had been locked up following the first signs of madness, he embarked in Gaeta to return to his hometown.
And it was in this building that he presented himself to his sister, with a false identity.
Today the building still has a portal with slightly raised ashlars, tax mark and key of the arch, above which there is the coat of arms of the Sersale house
From the street you can admire the central balcony of the so-called noble floor which is supported by four corbels with scrolls, ending at the top in masks.
The balcony is distinguished from the others by the profile of the threshold frame, which has a decoration of carved ovules, closer to Apulian and Sicilian forms, rather than Neapolitan ones.
The balcony in question is in good condition.
Its lower surface still shows traces of painted raceme decoration.
In the atrium of the noble building there is an interesting frescoed barrel vault with military coats of arms and trophies and inscriptions from 1615 that recall the poet Torquato Tasso.

The vault paintings were severely damaged by a fire that broke out in 1959 and only a part of them is visible today.

Still on the subject of this building, we can say that a noble chapel dedicated to St. Nicholas of Bari was built on its left and it is probable that the name of the street takes its cue from the presence of the Christian temple.
Previous article
Next article
RELATED ARTICLES

Most Popular

Piazza Tasso

Torquato Tasso

The Path of the Gods