The Palazzo dei Griffi: the first theatre of Varese

It was thanks to Ambrogio Griffi that in the XV century one had the construction of the building which in the XVIII century was to house the Teatro Ducale, the first in Varese. For a very long time it was considered one of the town's best, so much so that the townspeople simply referred to it as "il Palazzo". Unfortunately, today only an ornate mullioned window with two lights survives, reconstructed on one side of the outside wall of the chapel of Villa Mirabello.
There were many owners of the building: ranging from the Griffi to the Vestarini, Visconti, Besozzi and Marquis Casnedi. In 1734 the building was transformed into a monastery by the monks of the Hieronymite Order, called in this way due to their devotion to the ascetic rules of St. Jerome.
Following the abolition of all the Minorite Orders the monastery was ceded to the "Ospedale de' poveri" [Hospital of the Poor] of Varese to then be transformed into a town theatre on the express wish of Francesco III. The lease, stipulated by the Ospedale in 1778 with Giovanni Fontana and Ottavio Torelli under the direct supervision of Francesco III in person, foresaw that on its expiry in 1790 the building would return under the direct management of the Ospedale. This punctually took place, notwithstanding the opposition on the part of the impresarios who in this way saw all of their investments dissolve.
In 1792 the building was purchased by the Commune which established a barracks inside it. From this point on the townspeople referred to it as the quarter . Subsequently, after its demolition in 1867 to make room for the new market square (today Piazza Repubblica), it came to be known as the Caserma vecchia [Old Barracks].
Although where exactly was this building? The Monastery of the Hieronymites was situated to the south-east of the town in the triangle of San Dionigi comprising the southern quarters of the town and the castellany of Bosto. From an examination of the old land register maps, had drawn up by Maria Theresa of Austria and really quite precise (even in the metrical sense), it is possible to establish the exact position of the convent: one side faced onto "Strada Milanese" [Milanese Road], today's Via Manzoni, another on Piazza Repubblica and the remaining two on an alley - no longer in existence - which joined this Piazza with the "Strada del dazio" [Road of the Excise Office], that is, with the Via Dazio Vecchio [Old Road of the Excise Office].