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Giorgio de Chirico wrote these words referring to the Palazzetto dei Borgognoni, a 17th century Roman building located at the foot of the Spanish Steps on the right side of Piazza di Spagna. De Chirico settled here with his wife, Isabella Pakzswer Far (1909-1990), in 1948 and worked and lived in the house for the last thirty years of his life. A lively place for meetings and receptions, the artist's house was furnished in the typical style of the 50s, revisited through hints of the rich baroque style of the 17th century.
Since 1998 the house has become the headquarter of the Giorgio and Isa de Chirico Foundation and its rooms seem to live again the enchanted period in which the artist's made a vibrant and interesting place at the center of Rome and the world (according to the artist's quote). The sumptuous rooms on the main floor reflect the original furnishings, immersing the visitor in an elegant vision with the large halls decorated with a number of precious works, some exhibited in gilded frames, others resting on marble tops among red damask curtains, silverware, wooden cherubs and Louis XVI style armchairs.
Two ramps of stairs lead to the second floor, the most private part of the house with the bedrooms and the artist's studio. The latter preserves De Chirico's imprinting with the exhibition of brushes, colors, frames, his palette, and his own gown which lyes on a wicker armchair as if the artist had just left the room. But there are also several plaster models of ancient statues, gladiators, and horses, which dominate the artist's personal library and recall the sculptures installed in his metaphysical landscapes.
To really understand what De Chirico meant by saying that this is "the center of the center of the world" one has to visit the terrace (in the photo) from where the artist looked out to admire the spectacle of the Eternal City, his favorite muse and the epicenter of his career.
