Casa Guidi (Home of Robert and Elizabeth Barrett Browning), Florence

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Casa Guidi (Home of Robert and Elizabeth Barrett Browning), Florence

Casa Guidi (Home of Robert and Elizabeth Barrett Browning), Florence

Casa Guidi s a writer's house museum located in the 15th-century Palazzo Guidi at Piazza San Felice, 8, near the southern end of the Pitti Palace in Florence. A center of British society in Florence, the space was inhabitated by Robert and Elizabeth Barrett Browning from 1847 (shortly after their clandestine marriage) until Elizabeth's passing in 1861. She affectionately named the apartment 'Casa Guidi' to transform "a mere palace into a home". Today, it stands as a shrine to Elizabeth's memory, where she penned much of her beloved poetry, including, naturally enough, her notable 1851 collection, "Casa Guidi Windows."

After Mrs. Browning's death, her son, Robert, continued to live here until 1912. Eventually, the apartment was bought by several Browning enthusiasts – although, by that time, it retained hardly any furniture or paintings. The Browning Society in New York restored it, before giving it to Eton College which undertook further work so that the building could be used as a study centre. Today, it is part of The Eton College Collections but is administered by the Landmark Trust, who also look after the apartment above the one where John Keats died in Rome. When not being used by Eton boys, the property is available for holiday lets booked through the Landmark Trust.

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Casa Guidi (Home of Robert and Elizabeth Barrett Browning) on Map

Sight Name: Casa Guidi (Home of Robert and Elizabeth Barrett Browning)
Sight Location: Florence, Italy (See walking tours in Florence)
Sight Type: Attraction/Landmark
Guide(s) Containing This Sight:

Walking Tours in Florence, Italy

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Tour Duration: 1 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 2.7 Km or 1.7 Miles

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