Apple has unveiled its latest international retail space, Apple Via del Corso, on Rome’s vibrant Via del Corso. Design collaborator Foster + Partners revamped the historic Palazzo Marignoli, originally designed by architect Salvatore Bianchi in 1870, to host the new store while still conveying the colorful legacy of its site.
Home to refurbished painted ceilings and frescoes from the 1890s in addition to modern graffiti artwork from the 1950s, Apple Via del Corso embodies a celebration of past, present, and future. “The joy of the project was to peel back and rediscover the layers of history throughout the building and revealing its eclectic past, which ranges from the historic painted ceilings and the frescoes by Fabio Cipolla, both from the 1890s, to the more recent graffiti artworks by Afro Basaldella,” explains Stefan Behling, head of studio for Foster + Partners. “Palazzo Marignoli has seen so much throughout its history, and we feel truly privileged to be able to be part of its newest phase of life. Especially, as Rome is one of my favorite cities in the world.”
The large windows of the façade establish expansive sightlines between the store and the street, while an internal courtyard offers a soothing green oasis, visible from nearly all corners of the store, at the heart of the palazzo. A canopy of Camphora trees accent the space along with historic lanterns revived with LED technology to mimic traditional candlelight.
A monumental staircase leads visitors to the restored piano nobile, which boasts an original skylight. Also housed across the upper level, the Apple Forum occupies a vaulted former ballroom to host workshops and other onsite programs. Adjacent to the ballroom, a former games room showcases a handpainted, geometrically patterned ceiling that was unearthed during the renovation. The gallery space, which bonds all three areas of the upper level, opens onto a terrace populated with jasmine vines and olive trees overlooking the courtyard.
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