Overview
The seat of mediaeval self-government dominates the central town square. The Palazzo was built in 1281 by resolution of the merchant chief Alberto Scoto, although it has since been restored and embellished several times: the swallow-tailed battlements, for example, were added after the Unification of Italy. In the 13th century, it was indeed a question of creating a new hub of local life, yet on a site that for "Placentia" must already have been central for more or less a millennium: a stone with the Latin inscription "hinc est ara Bellonæ" was discovered in the neighbourhood, the sign of an altar dedicated to the deity of war.
Contemplating the structure from the outside, one cannot fail to admire the contrast between the whiteness of the marble base in the form of a two-bay loggia with Gothic arches – hence the name of the Palazzo – and the geometric brickwork on the upper level, which instead recalls Romanesque forms. The large meeting room, some forty metres by more than fifteen under a wooden truss roof, was accessed via two doors at the two stairways. Currently, the Palazzo is only open for events and temporary exhibitions.
