Subiani-Ducci building

The palace, currently owned by the Ducci family, still bears on its main façade the stone coat of arms of the ancient owners: the Subiani. The coat of arms depicts a golden lion and bull rampant, along with an oak tree, also in gold, surmounted by a prelatical hat. Originally from Pigli, in the countryside surrounding Subbiano, they were later known as 'da Subiano,' 'Subiani,' or simply 'Subiano,' named after the main locality in the territory where they already owned land, farmhouses, and even a mill and a fulling mill on the Arno River in the early decades of the 15th century

The social ascent of the family experienced a sudden acceleration when Antonio di Pigli da Subiano, due to his merits as a military auditor in the service of Cosimo I de' Medici, obtained the first degree of Arezzo citizenship (the Gonfalonierato) for himself and his descendants in 1551. In 1555, he also acquired Florentine citizenship. From that time onward, the Subiani followed the usual paths of economic and social advancement: notaries, graduates in both civil and canon law, career military officers, churchmen, Knights of the Order of St. Stephen, and officials in the grand ducal bureaucracy.

The palace likely belonged to the branch of the family descended from Bartolomeo di Bartolo, which included many churchmen who served as vicars for the Bishops of Arezzo. This branch of the family, which had been admitted to the Florentine patriciate in 1782, became extinct in 1928 with Rodolfo di Giacinto Subiani. In his will, he made significant bequests: in memory of his sister Adele, he left his residence in Arezzo, known as the 'Cappel di ferro,' along with his collection of paintings, sculptures, art objects, and archaeological artifacts to the Thevenin Orphanage. Additionally, in perpetual remembrance of his brother Alfredo, he left the four estates in Pilli (Pilli Vecchio, Pilli Grande, Casina di Pilli, and Querceti) to the Opera Pia Boschi in Subbiano, with the intention that their income would support the proper functioning of the hospital. The exact timing of the transfer of ownership of this palace from the Subiani to the Ducci family, who were ennobled in Arezzo in 1816, remains uncertain.