In the 16th-century Strassoldo Palace, named after one of Gorizia’s oldest patrician families, the Court of the French Royalty, who had come to Gorizia, then considered the “Austrian Nice,” settled in 1830. After the King’s death, the Duke of Angoulême Louis Anthony Count of Marnes accepted the royal title and the Palace became the meeting place for numerous French guests.
The building underwent renovations during the 17th century, and in the last quarter of the 18th century it was expanded to its present size; it has a remarkable 18th-century facade.
The interior spaces were modified as follows: a well, still well preserved, remains visible in the center of the courtyard; the main elevation is regulated by a small central attic with three windows; the family coat of arms is set on the tympanum; and the main floor was accessed via the sixteenth-century four-flight, square staircase located on the left side of the hallway.
Today, the building that overlooks St. Anthony Square is home to the Entourage Hotel and the operational headquarters of Go! Borderless Opera Lab .