In 1369, Petrarch (Francesco Petrarca), elderly and ill, finally decided to end his voyaging by settling at Arqua, where Francesco the Elder had probably given him a house. He renovated it to his needs, joining two separate structures, adapting the left part of the upper floor as family home and the right part for the services and servants quarters. There was a garden behind the house, where his friend Lombardo della Seta assisted him to plant laurel, grape vines, melons and a variety of herbs. He transformed the central hall into a reception room and divided another room on the left side of the house to provide a study, where he continued working until his death, in the night of July 18, 1374. This room, where Alfieri wept with grief, still contains the poet's chair and much-worn cabinets. Petrarch shared the house with his daughter Francesca, son-in-law Francescuolo da Brossana, and grand-daughter Eletta. After his death it passed through various hands until. In 1546, it was purchased by Paolo Valdezocco, a descendant of the same Paduan typographer that had printed Petrarch's Canzoniere, in 1472. This owner altered some of the interiors, built the loggetta and external stairs, and had the rooms frescoed with scenes inspired by Petrarch's works. The house had already become a memorial to Petrarch, a place for memories and destination of visits. On July 31, 1875, Cardinal Pietro Silvestri donated the house to the City of Padua, when it became part of the civic museums system.
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