There is no certain information on the construction of Palazzo Gulinelli, but a map of the city from 1597 shows the building’s site similar to the present one. In 1844 the Palace was purchased by the lawyer Count Giacomo Gulinelli, and in 1863 his son Luigi completed the renovations. After World War II the Palace was home to the offices of the Police Headquarters, the Union Circle and many displaced families. In 1952-53 the Palazzo was sold by the Gulinellis to the Opera Pia Don Cipriano Canonici Mattei, which established the language high school there, active until 2010. Today, after careful restoration, it has become home to the Smiling Service International School.
The history of the palace is linked to the myth of Bugatti: the Gulinellis, owners of an automobile workshop and stable, hosted the young and brilliant Ettore there, who with their help created the unique Bugatti-Gulinelli model.
