The Portico of the Relative
Nella Loggia del Parente, ove sono adunate le più fiere specie di Michelangelo
[Libro segreto]
The Portico of the Relative is an area in front of the private gardens of the Priory, the house of the poet, which in the days of d’Annunzio was used in the summer, appropriately set up with carpets and furniture, as an outdoor convivial place. D’Annunzio used to take his breakfasts here.
It is named after Michelangelo, the “relative” in fact, to whom the Poet felt bound by a deep affinity. The space is embellished with fragments, inscriptions, coats of arms, terracotta heads, sculptures and a late fifteenth-century monastic washbasin. A huge plaster cast of the Belvedere Torso and a bust of Michelangelo by Napoleone Martinuzzi pay homage to the artist. Numerous frescoes by the famous painter and set designer Guido Marussig also decorate the walls of the Portico, further embellishing the environment.