Martinelli Mansion

Frederico Aversa Masson
Oct 31, 2024
2 min read

Updated: Nov 4, 2024

Martinelli Mansion (Palacete Martinelli in Portuguese) was a mansion located in the Flamengo neighborhood, which housed the Italian-Brazilian businessman Giuseppe Martinelli and his family. The mansion's architecture was marked by a mix of surrealist, neo-gothic and Moorish elements.

Born in Luca, Italy, Giuseppe Martinelli immigrated to Brazil in 1893. It was during World War I that Martinelli built his empire: noticing the lack of means of trading opportunities between Brazil and Europe, Martinelli created a shipping company — Lloyde Nacional — focused on exporting Brazilian agricultural goods to Europe. His company grew quickly, and by the 1920s, he was already owner of multiple mines and construction companies. He was also responsible for the construction of the first skyscraper in São Paulo — the Edíficio Martinelli.

The Martinelli Mansion initially housed Custódio de Almeida Magalhães — an important banker during Brazil's imperial years. The mansion, originally designed by German architect Thomas Driendl, was sold to Giuseppe Martinelli in 1918 by Custódio Magalhães' widow, Suzana Hirsck. Imediatelly after the purchase, Martinelli hired the Italian Antonio Virzi to renovate the mansion. With his surrealist style, Virzi gave the mansion its remarkable features — such as its neo-gothic elements, Moorish columns, gargoyles, and an excessive use of marble. The mansion had not only a striking ecletic exterior but also a luxurious interior, boasting dozens of crystal chandeliers, paintings from notable European artists, and glamorous furnitures.

Due to the mansion's proximity to the Viúva Hill (Morro da Viúva in Portuguese), Martinelli ordered the construction of a tunnel and elevator (both passing through the rocks) connecting the house with the top of the hill. At the top, Martinelli commissioned the construction of multiple gardens and fountains, as well as a chapel that replicated the Basilica de Luca in Italy - destroyed during World War II. It is said that the Italian dictator Benito Mussolini attended the chapel's innauguration (Martinelli was a great admirer of Mussolini, even naming his son after the dictator).

It is believed that a Romani seer told Giuseppe that he would die on the day the works at the mansion ceased, leading him to keep the mansion perpetually busy with renovations. Eventually, when he died, the mansion (and most of his fortune) was inherited by his son José Benito, who managed to spend almost everything.

The mansion was bought in 1976 by broker Sérgio Dourado. He demolished the building, replacing it with a residential complex called Signore del Bosco. However, he preserved the chapel, and the residents of the Signore del Bosco complex are able to visit it and use the tunnel today.