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But he doesn’t bother to mount most of his oil paintings, leaving them stacked against the walls of his 16th century palazzo like dollar records at a flea market.

“For the Excelsior hotel in Rome,” says Gropman, “the exterior was the Hassler, the lobby was the Plaza, and two suites were an amazing 16th century palazzo in the middle of Rome.”

The city is showing off its glories, with palazzos and domed churches reflected in the canals, a blue sky above.

And their taste in design moves fluidly through cultures and eras — from the polished flair of Brazilian Modernism to the epic proportions of Venice’s art-filled palazzos.

But what happens in that palazzo will make her ageless.