Cinema Arlecchino

Cinema Arlecchino was a cinema located in the historic centre of Florence, Italy, at via de' Bardi 45-47-49. It operated within a building constructed in 1959 to a design by architect Nino Jodice, on the site of a palazzo that had been destroyed by retreating German troops in August 1944. The cinema was known for its richly decorated interiors, featuring ceramic panels and pillars by Arnaldo Miniati, tempera panels by Vinicio Berti dated 1959, and a fresco of traditional masks attributed to Mila Malvezzi, among other works by Florentine artists of the late 1950s. In its final period, it screened adult films. The cinema closed in 2007. The ground-floor spaces were later purchased by Conad del Tirreno and, in 2010, restored and adapted into a small supermarket, respecting the original artworks. The building also features a terrace on via Stracciatella, covering the former projection hall, and a tabernacle with a modern terracotta Madonna and Child by Libero Andreotti from 1923.

The Cinema Arlecchino was located in the historic centre of Florence, Italy, at via de' Bardi 45-47-49. The site was previously occupied by a palazzo that was part of the Canigiani family's properties in the area. In 1924, Augusto Garneri recorded it as Palazzo Ciampi and noted that during the years when Florence was the capital of Italy, it was the residence of Napoleon Joseph Charles Paul Bonaparte, known as "Plon-Plon" (consort from 1856 of Princess Clotilde of Savoy, daughter of Victor Emmanuel II). This palazzo was razed to the ground by mines placed by the retreating German army in August 1944. The current building was constructed at the end of the 1950s (1959) based on a design by architect Nino Jodice. Externally it shows no elements of particular merit, and its limited fame was solely linked to the presence, on the ground floor, of the Cinema Arlecchino, which in its last period of activity was used for screening adult films. The space is notable for its rich interior decoration, executed at the same time as the venue's construction by various artists: in the atrium, where the ticket office and bar were, there are ceramic panels and pillars by Arnaldo Miniati; in the projection hall, a frieze by the same Miniati, a series of tempera panels signed by Vinicio Berti and dated 1959, and a fresco depicting traditional masks attributed to Mila Malvezzi; on the exit ramp, other panels by Florentine artists active in the late 1950s (Vinicio Berti, Pirzio, Silvio Loffredo, Adorno Bonciani, Mario Innocenti, Giuliana Corsini, Mario Calderai, Mario Mariotti, Marcello Guasti, Armando Vanni Cortecci). Closed in 2007, the cinema long presented an entrance (a short portico with three pillars clad in rusticated stone) in a state of extreme degradation. Purchased by Conad del Tirreno, the ground-floor spaces were restored in 2010 and adapted (respecting the aforementioned works) to house a small but functional supermarket. On the rear side in via Stracciatella, there is a large terrace, raised one storey above the street, which forms the roof of what was the cinema's projection hall. On this, from the left side, is a low building at the edge of the large terraced space, designed by Nino Jodice and initially intended to house artisan workshops that could use the terrace to display their products. On the street side, corresponding to this building, is a tabernacle with a modern terracotta Madonna and Child, a work by Libero Andreotti from 1923, donated by the sculptor's widow to the Committee for City Aesthetics on the occasion of the area's restoration inaugurated in 1959.

• 2010

  Ground-floor spaces, purchased by Conad del Tirreno, are restored and adapted into a supermarket, respecting the original artworks.

• 2007

  The cinema closes.

• 1959

  The current building is constructed based on a design by architect Nino Jodice; the Cinema Arlecchino opens with rich interior decoration.

• 1944

  The palazzo is razed to the ground by mines placed by the retreating German army in August.

• 1924

  Augusto Garneri records the palazzo as Palazzo Ciampi, noting it was the residence of Napoleon Joseph Charles Paul Bonaparte during Florence's years as capital.

Product categories. Cinema screenings · Adult film programming

1. 1Cinema Arlecchino - Wikipediait.wikipedia.org
2. 2Cinema Arlecchino - Wikidatawikidata.org
3. 3Il Regno del Cinemailregnodelcinema.com