The incredibly beautiful room you see below is found in Italy’s presidential palace in Rome, one of the three current official residences of the President of the Italian Republic. We think it’s the loveliest.
Known as Quirinal Palace, the 1,200-room palace has been home to 30 popes, four kings of Italy and (since the 1940s), twelve presidents of the Italian republic. The palace built by Pope Gregory VIII in 1573 is situated on the top of Quirinal hill, one of the famous “seven hills of Rome.”
Quirinal Palace
As it happens, Cane de Quirinale – or “Dog of Quirinal” – is an alternative name for the Volpino. The moniker hints at how closely the breed has been associated with palatial life and Italian aristocracy over the centuries, dogs that became especially popular as companions to wealthy ladies. Some cynologists even think that Italian artist, Michelangelo, had a Volpino.
The Volpino traces it’s origins to the Paleolithic Era. According to the breed club, “Italian experts, including judge Antonio Crepaldi and Dr. Enrico Franceschetti, believe that some descendants of the original Spitz migrated south to Italy to evolve into the Volpino Italiano, while others migrated north to Germany to become the German Spitz.”
Image: “L’impatier” by Andrea Landini (1847 – 1935)
Photo of Quirinal Palace and interior found on Pinterest and happily credited upon receipt of information