The Oddi family was one of the leading Perugian families from at least the 13th century, and was inscribed in the “Libro Rosso” (the official record of the Perugian nobility) in 1333. It belonged to the Guelph faction of the city, and famously engaged in a long and bloody conflict with the Baglioni family in the 15th century. A resolution seemed possible in 1474, when Sforza degli Oddi married Isabetta Baglioni. However, the conflict erupted again in 1482 and came to another sort of conclusion in 1488, when the degli Oddi were driven into exile. Pope Innocent VIII shamefully acquiesced to the sentence in 1489.
The exiles nevertheless maintained their papal affiliation, and their prospects improved as those of the Baglioni faded. Pope Julius II managed to effect their return and the restoration of their confiscated property in 1506. After Pope Paul III finally expelled the Baglioni from Perugia in 1540, the degli Oddi enjoyed a resurgence in their political standing in the city and in their economic fortune.
Palazzo degli Oddi Marini-Clarelli
The tower house and garden that Guido degli Oddi had bought here in 1444 was presumably confiscated in 1488. The family probably regained possession of the site in 1506, and the palace was subsequently rebuilt. Its great hall was added in the 17th century. It was subsequently unified, and the current facade was completed in 1768. The gardens behind and below the palace are now used as a car park (visited in Walk II).
The main branch of the family ended in 1942, with the death of Maria Vittoria degli Oddi. (She was an educated woman, and her study in the palace is particularly interesting). She had been married to Luigi Marini Clarelli, and the palace passed to the their son, Angelo Marini Clarelli. It was the home of Barbara Marini Clarelli Santi, the widow of the art historian Francesco Santi, until her death in 2007. It has recently been restored and is operated as a house-museum cultural centre by the Fondazione Marini Clarelli Santi. A visit here is highly recommended.
The palace also houses parts of the Umbra Institute, and is used for educational courses for foreigners.
