The building of the ex Loggia Comunale is located in Alcamo, in the province of Trapani.

History

The citizens of Alcamo called ‘’loggia’’ the

Town Hall In local government, a city hall, town hall, civic centre (in the UK or Australia), guildhall, or a municipal building (in the Philippines), is the chief administrative building of a city, town, or other municipality. It usually houses ...

; this custom was common in many Sicilian towns, and is also proved by several notary deeds.P.M. Rocca: Di alcuni antichi edifici di Alcamo; Palermo, tip. Inside the Loggia, the town administrators held their meetings; the building is often mentioned in some documents dating back to 1525.Roberto Calia: I Palazzi dell'aristocrazia e della borghesia alcamese; Alcamo, Carrubba, 1997 It was rebuilt in 1548,Ignazio De Blasi: Discorso storico della opulenta città di Alcamo situata a piè del Monte Bonifato e dell'antichissima cittù di Longarico; trascrizione del manoscritto originale e realizzazione di Lorenzo Asta; Alcamo, 1989 according to the design of the architect Domenico Vitale, in the same place where the old one stood. Thanks to the suppression of the religious order by the order of the king Ferdinand III of Sicily, in 1767 the ''Giurati'' moved into the Ex Jesuits’ College, so making use of more functional and large premises. As a result, the loggia was completely abandoned and, in 1783 it was put on sale in order to devote the proceeds for the works of the new seat. In 1806, owing to the Jesuits’ return to Alcamo, the municipal authorities gave back the premises of the College and their seat was moved into Palazzo PalmeriniFrancesco Maria Mirabella: Alcamensia noterelle storiche con appendice di Documenti inediti p.28; Alcamo, ed. Sarograf, 1931 located near the Mother church, the first year for rent and later by census, according to the deed dated 3 June 1807 by the notary Vincenzo Coppola. Nobody knows how long this palace was the municipality’s seat. The floor built in 1558 had already fallen down in the second half of the 18th century and part of the decorations were used in the new construction which was started in 1813. In the 20th century the owners of the lodge became the Tobia family and their heirs; in 1976 a part of the building, sold to a building contractor, was rebuilt, but its interior remained unaltered.

Description

The palace was distinguished for its

portico A portico is a porch leading to the entrance of a building, or extended as a colonnade, with a roof structure over a walkway, supported by columns or enclosed by walls. This idea was widely used in ancient Greece and has influenced many cult ...

with two arcades, one in the Corso and the other in via Barone San Giuseppe; in the eleventh chapter of his work entitled "Discorso storico della opulenta città di Alcamo situata a piè del Monte Bonifato, e dell'antichissima città di Longarico ossia Lacarico, dopo detta Alcamo, su di esso monte" Ignazio De Blasi, the famous historian from Alcamo wrote: ''la Loggia vecchia casa della città, destinata per i negozi pubblici dell'Università, e dove si convocava il pubblico consiglio per gli affari dello stato, di bellissima architettura, con vari archi e porte nel mezzo degli archi, sostenute da pilastri intagliati d'ordine dorico e ionico. (That is: the Loggia which was the old

, intended for the public business of University, and where the Council held its meetings, of beautiful architecture, with several

arch An arch is a vertical curved structure that spans an elevated space and may or may not support the weight above it, or in case of a horizontal arch like an arch dam, the hydrostatic pressure against it. Arches may be synonymous with vaul ...

es and doors in the middle of them, sustained by carved pillars of

Doric Doric may refer to: * Doric, of or relating to the Dorians of ancient Greece ** Doric Greek, the dialects of the Dorians * Doric order, a style of ancient Greek architecture * Doric mode, a synonym of Dorian mode * Doric dialect (Scotland) * Doric ...

and Ionian order.)'' The

façade A façade () (also written facade) is generally the front part or exterior of a building. It is a Loanword, loan word from the French language, French (), which means 'frontage' or 'face'. In architecture, the façade of a building is often t ...

is quite rich and imposing, with a high pedestal in shiny

travertine Travertine ( ) is a form of terrestrial limestone deposited around mineral springs, especially hot springs. It often has a fibrous or concentric appearance and exists in white, tan, cream-colored, and even rusty varieties. It is formed by a pro ...

Carlo Cataldo: Guida storico-artistica dei beni culturali di Alcamo, Calatafimi, Castellammare del Golfo, Salemi e Vita, Sarograf-Alcamo (1982) and lesenes ending with fluted corbels; the main door is located in Corso 6 Aprile: there is a

round arch An arch is a vertical curved structure that Span (architecture), spans an elevated space and may or may not support the weight above it, or in case of a horizontal arch like an arch dam, the hydrostatic pressure against it. Arches may be sy ...

made with

ashlars Ashlar () is finely dressed (cut, worked) stone, either an individual stone that has been worked until squared, or a structure built from such stones. Ashlar is the finest stone masonry unit, generally rectangular cuboid, mentioned by Vitruvi ...

. In addition, in via Barone san Giuseppe there are four entrances on the ground floor and three balconies with stone galleries. In the Corso there is also a big balcony with

wrought iron Wrought iron is an iron alloy with a very low carbon content (less than 0.08%) in contrast to that of cast iron (2.1% to 4%). It is a semi-fused mass of iron with fibrous slag Inclusion (mineral), inclusions (up to 2% by weight), which give it a ...

and three entries.

References

Sources

* Roberto Calia: I Palazzi dell'aristocrazia e della borghesia alcamese; Alcamo, Carrubba, 1997 * Ignazio De Blasi: Discorso storico della opulenta città di Alcamo situata a piè del Monte Bonifato e dell'antichissima cittù di Longarico; trascrizione del manoscritto originale e realizzazione di Lorenzo Asta; Alcamo, 1989 * Carlo Cataldo: Guida storico-artistica dei beni culturali di Alcamo, Calatafimi, Castellammare del Golfo, Salemi e Vita, Sarograf-Alcamo (1982) * P.M. Rocca: Di alcuni antichi edifici di Alcamo; Palermo, tip. Castellana-Di Stefano, 1905 * Francesco Maria Mirabella: Alcamensia noterelle storiche con appendice di Documenti inediti; Alcamo, ed. Sarograf, 1931

External links

* http://www.alqamah.it/2014/01/29/historia-alcami-alcamo-citta-medievale-a-scacchiera/ Buildings and structures in Alcamo Buildings and structures completed in 1525 16th-century establishments in Italy

History

Description

See also

References

Sources

External links