Inside the original Medieval village, in proximity of the gate towards Ivrea, you will find the Palazzo Marini building complex, made of a stately section towards the South and a rustic portion towards the North. The residential portion consists of a ground floor, a first floor and an attic and, as with most Borgofranco buildings, it does not have a cellar, due to the marshy ground.
On the side of the entrance hall, the noble staircase puts the portico in communication with the loggia above, while he helical staircase, contained in the cylindrical tower, ensures access to all levels of the building.
During the first half of the 17th century the Marini family renovated the existing building, extended it and commissioned the frescos that decorate the walls of the monumental staircase, the four staircases of the first floor and the loggia, attributed to the intervention of at least three different groups of decorators. They have very innovative characteristics, finding widespread use only in the second half of the century.
The frescoed rooms of the first floor are the great Sala di Rappresentanza, the Sala delleStagioni, the Sala dell’Etica and the Sala dell’Abbondanza. Wth its difficult vault ceilings, the latter is certainly one of the earliest examples of this genre throughout Piedmont. The last descendent of Marini died without children therefore the feud of Borgofranco was united with the Royal state property.
Palazzo Marini is now headquarters of the “Centro Educazioneall’Arte (Art Education Centre)” Association, developing activities throughout the Canavese area starting from organisations that are already present, such as the Suzuki Talent Center, established in Chiaverano, the via Francigena festival, which has already been present more than 10 years, and supporting important social project.