“Rassauer: one restoration, two houses, many cultures, 1475 stories”: this is the title of the walk that Confcommercio Gorizia and Fondazione Palazzo Coronini Cronberg decided to organize to tell the story of Rassauer House and the twelve precious pettenelle (decorated wooden panels) found after the recent restoration of the building. The walk is scheduled for Saturday, Feb. 22, from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and will be led by architect Giulio Valentini, who will take participants on a historical tour of the exterior of the building (not yet accessible as work is still in progress).
Valentini himself, in the latest issue of “La Via del BorGO” – the paper periodical of Confcommercio Gorizia – edited the story of Casa Rassauer and the pettenelle that Fondazione Palazzo Coronini Cronberg will be exhibiting free of charge in its spaces during museum opening hours on the very weekend of February 22 and 23.
The restoration of Casa Rassauer and the discovery of the pettenelle – Casa Rassauer is one of the oldest buildings in Borgo Castello and is owned by the Palazzo Coronini Cronberg Foundation. It represents a significant example of internationalism, both architecturally and historically: even more so after the recent restoration of the building, which has yielded new, unpublished discoveries and brought back forgotten stories.
Wooden pettenelles are decorative or functional elements on the border between art and craft, often referred to as tabulae pictae, which translates to painted panels or tablets used in architecture and furniture as decorative elements. Tells Valentini in his article, “The 12 pettenelles (out of 36 probably originally present) found at the supports of the beams during recent restorations depict, in profile or half profile, male and female figures unknown to us. The importance of these pettenelles is remarkable: for their excellent artistic workmanship, for the detail with which faces and clothing are described, and-above all-for being
a very rare example of 15th-century Gorizian civic art. The Slovenian and Tyrolean ancestry of the Reshawer-Rassauer family, the artistic quality of the pettenelle, the use of Latin and German in the inscriptions, and the adoption of the Venetian style in the facade make Wolfgangk and his house valuable testimonies to the multifaceted temperament then present in Gorica.”
The program – The meeting for participants is at 11 a.m. in front of Casa Rassauer (Borgo Castello 16 – Gorizia), with a final stop at the Bottega del Cappello at 52 Rastello Street, headquarters of Confcommercio Gorizia for the La Via del BorGO project under the PNRR Bando Borghi project, where hot tea will be offered.
Those who wish to admire the pectenelles can do so on Saturday, Feb. 22 and Sunday, Feb. 23 at the bookshop of the Palazzo Coronini Cronberg Foundation, which will display the wooden pectenelles found during restoration work in one of the very rooms of the Borgo Castello building. Visitors can admire them free of charge at the following times: Saturday, Feb. 22 and Sunday, Feb. 23 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. Entrance from 1 Coronini Street.
For information about the walk write to info@laviadelborgo.eu or send a WhatsApp message to (+39) 334 750 5642. For information about the pectenelle display write to info@coronini.it or call + 39 (0)481 533485.
Statements – Monica Paoletich, Director of Confcommercio Gorizia: “It is a great satisfaction to organize this walk together with the Coronini Cronberg Palace Foundation. We are happy with this collaboration that will allow the local community to immerse themselves in the history of Casa Rassauer and to be able to admire the rediscovered pettenelle. We strongly wanted this appointment, which for us represents a further moment of encounter after the Advent walks organized in December and to the multiple stories that the La Via del BorGO project is favoring for the urban regeneration of Via Rastello and Borgo Castello. Also through our free press, which in the last issue hosted precisely the story of the Rassauer House.”
Claudio Polverino, Director of the Palazzo Coronini Cronberg Foundation: “The recovery of Casa Rassauer is not just a restoration project but a concrete opportunity to revitalize the area and promote widespread hospitality linked to the history of the village. The work, which will be completed in the coming months, will return to the city a renewed living and cultural space, capable of combining historical memory and new perspectives for the future. The collaboration with La Via del BorGO, which was started already during the Christmas markets, is strengthened with this meeting dedicated to the history of Casa Rassauer, allowing the Coronini family’s heritage to be enhanced and
shared with an ever wider audience.”
Giulio Valentini, architect and guide for the walk: “I am delighted with this initiative, which aims to bring the city’s attention back to Casa Rassauer, a precious treasure chest of history and architecture located in Borgo Castello. For the occasion, artistic artifacts found in recent restorations will be exceptionally displayed at the Scuderie di Palazzo Coronini: an important opportunity for Gorizia and the community.”
