At the end of Via Dei Priori, in the square that once was Piazza degli Oddi, we find Palazzo degli Oddi, now the seat of the homonymous museum managed by the Marini Clarelli Santi Foundation.
A beautiful building erected at the beginning of the XVI Century, by the will of Guido degli Oddi, a member of one of the most powerful aristocratic families in Perugia. It is believed that the degli Oddi were of Hungarian origins and came to Italy with Frederick I. During the communal period the enjoyed great consideration in the city and owned several fiefs in the countryside. They are also remembered for their rivalry with the Baglioni family – who represented the Bourgeoisie – which ended with the defeat of degli Oddi, the seizing of all their properties, and their exile. They managed to retrieve their belongings thanks to the intervention of the Pope, who was also fighting against the Baglioni to gain control over the city.
Only the ground floor is original and its hall is frescoed with beautiful XVIII Century paintings and is now home to an important art collection of paintings, drawings, prints, postcards, stamps, and antiques.
The collection was started by Angelo degli Oddi, who acquired about 69 paintings and 35 drawings. His footsteps were followed by the son Francesco who started indexing the artworks and expanded the collection until it reached 210 paintings and 1268 drawings.
The palace has always been privately owned by the degli Oddi, until the last member of the family Maria Vittoria degli Oddi (wife of Luigi Marini Clarelli) died in 1942.