Almici – Frugoni Palace

Current location of the Municipal Library

Palazzo Almici Frugoni currently houses the Coccaglio Municipal Library.

The original nucleus and the historic portico

The original core of this fascinating building likely dates back to the 18th or 19th century: this is where the traditional organization of the internal façade comes from, featuring a beautiful portico with segmental arches and pilasters on square plinths. Today, the portico is enclosed by elegant glass windows, a move consistent with many historic homes restored during the industrial age, when the porticos of historic homes were converted into greenhouses or enclosed verandas.

The windows on the upper and mezzanine floors

Above the portico opens the series of windows on the upper floor, surmounted by the band of small windows on the mezzanine floor.

The Art Nouveau aspect of the facade

The building’s appearance is attributed to the Art Nouveau style, which, from the outside, presents a block with solid volumetric continuity, divided into two main bands resting on the base plinth. The simplicity of the rectangular openings with grates on the first floor, with smooth ashlar surfaces, contrasts with the accentuated decorativeness of the second-floor windows, set on volute brackets and surmounted by a pediment crowned by a volute in the center. Above, the mezzanine band is closed, under the eaves, by an elegant dentil cornice.

The decorations of the Rubagotti brothers

The ground floor features interesting decorations attributed to the painters Angelo Rubagotti (1898 – 1982) and Giuseppe Rubagotti (1903 – 1955), brothers born in Coccaglio and working in various locations in the area with decorative works that included, in addition to frescoes, the techniques of polished stucco and graffito.

Polychrome graffiti on the portico

The ceiling of the portico is decorated with polychrome graffiti with festoons and panels containing mythological scenes.