Cassi Palace

The elegant and articulated building was the historic home of Count Francesco Cassi, a nobleman from an ancient Pesaro family who lived there for a long time.

Palazzo Cassi, located in the heart of San Costanzo, is an elegant historic residence of extraordinary cultural and architectural significance, a symbol of the village's noble and intellectual tradition. It was built in the 18th century by the Cassi family of Pesaro as a summer residence. The palace is the result of the harmonious union of three residential units: Palazzo Mei, purchased by Count Francesco Cassi in 1814, and two palaces previously belonging to the Diotallevi family. At the end of the 18th-19th century, the building experienced a brilliant period of culture and literary activity thanks to the high friendships that the Cassi boasted. In fact, high-ranking guests included Counts Ferri and Martinozzi, the literary Count Giulio Perticari, a cousin of Count Cassi, and his beautiful consort Costanza, daughter of the well-known and celebrated poet Vincenzo Monti. Count Giulio Perticari died after a long illness in the Renaissance residence. Around his death, rumours were fabricated against his beautiful wife Costanza, an admired woman of literary culture. In 1863, the San Costanzo City Council approved the purchase of the building to establish the Municipal Residence, which was kept there until 2005; but after careful restoration, completed in 2013, it was returned to the community as a cultural and social centre. In 1978, the first municipal library was housed here, where it still resides today, carrying out a constant and important book lending activity. In 1997, the then Municipal Administration decided to undertake an important cultural operation, setting up an exhibition of ancient paintings owned by the Municipal Picture Gallery: altarpieces from the demolished Church of San Silvestro and other unknown provenances, such as oratories and religious chapels in the San Costanzo area that had been abandoned due to neglect or changes in the social-religious network. This was an operation of great cultural value because it brought together in a single exhibition the testimony of those furnishings documenting centuries of religious life and different forms of figurative culture.