A while back I posted about the exterior of the Renaissance palazzo in Florence in which I have the great pleasure of attending Italian language classes. I’m finally getting back to it to show you the interior.

The building today houses a small hotel and two language schools, as well as a small retail business.

This is my view every time I come to class. I climb the 2 ramps of the grand stairway, decorated overhead with this gorgeous baroque ceiling painted in white, with two neoclassical putti standing in greeting. One bears an inscription relating to Galli Tassi, a one-time owner of the palazzo. The next image shows a Google Translate translation of the inscription on the top statue, the one of the putti holding one arm up.

At the top of the stairs, just under a portion of a remaining fresco, is the 19th century sign for the syrup factory that was once housed in this building during that century.

Hello, I say to myself, just before class.

What a grand stairway!

On the ground floor of this building is this salon with frescoes. I was lucky to take this video before being shooed out by a supercilious hotel worker who seemed to think he was the marchese of the palazzo (he’s not). As a student of the language school I had every right to be there.

However, the rooms of the hotel houses within the building are not open for my gaze , but I found these photos on their website.

A couple other ground floor rooms are occasionally found open by an intrepid investigator (that would be I). I spied an original ceiling decoration and antique fireplace in one sala.

From the 3rd floor of the palazzo, where my school is located, there is another smaller less grand stairway leading to the 4th floor and maybe the roof (? A search I’ll make in another day).

Even this modest stairway, which was probably for staff, appears lovely to me.

And back down in the 3rd floor, here is the door leading to my school.

Open Sesame. The mysteries to be unlocked by the Italian language await.