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Qual è la storia di questo edificio?

What is the history of this building?

Pronunciation

kwahl eh la STOH-ryah dee KWES-toh eh-dee-FEE-choh.

When to use it

When the museum building itself is historically interesting — a palazzo, a convent, a castle, or a former power station. In Italy, the building is often as interesting as the collection.

What it means

Qual è la storia di means what is the history of. Questo edificio means this building. Edificio is the formal word for building — more general than palazzo (palace) or chiesa (church).

Variations

Quando è stato costruito questo palazzo?

When was this palace built?

Specific question about a palazzo.

Era un convento prima di diventare museo?

Was it a convent before becoming a museum?

Many Italian museums occupy former convents.

Chi era il committente originale?

Who was the original patron?

Asking who commissioned the building.

Mini Dialogue

— Qual è la storia di questo edificio? — Era una villa medicea del Cinquecento. Divenne museo pubblico nel 1860 dopo l'Unità d'Italia. — Quindi fu la famiglia Medici a costruirlo? — Sì, fu commissionato da Cosimo I de' Medici. — Straordinario. L'architettura è ancora intatta? — In gran parte sì, con alcuni restauri ottocenteschi.
— What is the history of this building? — It was a Medici villa from the sixteenth century. It became a public museum in 1860 after Italian Unification. — So was it the Medici family who built it? — Yes, it was commissioned by Cosimo I de' Medici. — Extraordinary. Is the architecture still intact? — Largely yes, with some nineteenth-century restorations.

Cultural Note

After Italian Unification in 1861, many properties belonging to the former ruling families and religious orders were confiscated by the state and converted into museums. This is why so many Italian museums occupy spectacular historic palaces and convents.

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