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The Casa del Boccaccio, Boccaccio's home for the last part of his life, is a small "palazzo" in severe style, constructed of red brick and located in Certaldo Alto, halfway down via Boccaccio. The plain facade is relieved near the top by a gracious loggia that opens onto a splendid view of the hills of the Valdelsa, extending as far as San Gimignano. The house is now a museum. Entry is directly into the main room of the house where exhibitions related to the life, times and works of Boccaccio, and the town of Certaldo, are displayed. Rare and valuable editions of the works of Boccaccio are displayed in the rooms on the ground floor, along with the signatures of famous people who have visited the house. There is also an audiovisual presentation on Boccaccio's life as well as on the work of the national organisation that runs the museum. On the top floor there is a large library, open to professional students of Boccaccio, and containing a unique and comprehensive collection of works by and about Boccaccio in Italian as well as many volumes in other languages. A selection of these works is always on display in the fresco room. The latter room is in fact the heart of the house, containing as it does a large fresco by Pietro Benvenuti, a Neoclassical painter, that was commissioned at the beginning of the 19 C by the Marchesa Carlotta Lenzoni dei Medici who restored the house and enlarged the library during the course of many years. On the top floor it is possible to visit the beautiful loggia and enjoy the view out over the Valdelsa. Life and works of Giovanni Boccaccio
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Casa Boccaccio |
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The view from Casa Boccaccio |