Palazzo Compagni
The Palazzo Compagni or Palazzo Cresci is a palazzo on via Bufalini in Florence. History It was originally built as a tower-house by the Cresci family from Montereggi, after they arrived in Florence at the end of the 13th century - via Bufalini was then known as via di Santo Gilio. Thanks to the wool trade the Cresci family became very rich and gained many political positions. In the mid 14th century they replaced their tower with a grand palazzo. In 1529 one of the family members was accused of fraud and treason against the Republic of Florence, leading to a period of decline for the family. The palazzo passed to the Libri family then to the Alessandrini and Marzi-Medici families and finally (in the mid 18th century) to senator Braccio Compagni, a descendant of the chronicler Dino Compagni. Zanobi del Rossi redesigned the palazzo's interior in the 18th century, giving it its present appearance. It was next bought by the rich British tutor and librarian Sir Francis Joseph Sloane, son of an expatriate Scottish banker. Sloane was the owner of the Villa Medicea di Careggi and provided most of the funding for the new façade for Santa Croce Basilica.