Palazzo dell'Arengo in Ascoli PicenoIMG 0037

Palazzo dell'Arengo is a monumental palace located on ''

Piazza Arringo The ''Piazza Arringo'', also known as the ''piazza dell'Arengo'', is the oldest monumental piazza in the city of Ascoli Piceno. Rectangular in form, numerous important monuments face the piazza including: the ''palazzo Fonzi'', the ''palazzo del ...

'', also called ''Piazza dell'Arengo'' (Square of the People's Assembly), in the town-center of

Ascoli Piceno Ascoli Piceno (; la, Asculum; dialetto ascolano: Ascule) is a town and ''comune'' in the Marche region of Italy, capital of the province of the same name. Its population is around 46,000 but the urban area of the city has more than 93,000. Geo ...

Marche Marche ( , ) is one of the twenty regions of Italy. In English, the region is sometimes referred to as The Marches ( ). The region is located in the central area of the country, bordered by Emilia-Romagna and the republic of San Marino to the ...

, central Italy. The facades of the Duomo of Ascoli Piceno, the Baptistry of San Giovanni Battista, and the Episcopal palace also face the square, which is now decorated with two oval fountains.

History

The structure is formed by the fusion of two distinct buildings, the ''Palazzo del Comune'' with its ground floor arched portico built during the 12th to 14th centuries, and the ''Arringo'' built in the late 12th century. During the 15th century, both palaces were acquired by the

Apostolic Camera The Apostolic Camera ( la, Camera Apostolica), formerly known as the was an office in the Roman Curia. It was the central board of finance in the papal administrative system and at one time was of great importance in the government of the Stat ...

, which converted this to the seat of the papal governor of the city, a function it served until 1564. In 1610 Giambattista Cavagna, architect of the Sanctuary of Loreto, refitted the buildings with a common façade, although the works started only in 1695 under a renewed design by

Giuseppe Giosafatti Giuseppe Giosafatti (1643–1733) was an Italian architect and sculptor, mainly active in the city of Ascoli Piceno. His father, Antonio, was born in Venice and active in the late 1580s. Giuseppe's father placed him as an apprentice to his cousin ...

, and was complete only in 1745. The palace's façade was erected with travertine blocks, with a five-arcaded portico in the center supported by rusticated pilasters. The upper stories have idiosyncratic window frames. The first floor has alternating rounded and triangular window pediments ''supported'' by female caryatids, while the upper floor has male

atlases An atlas is a collection of maps; it is typically a bundle of maps of Earth or of a region of Earth. Atlases have traditionally been bound into book form, but today many atlases are in multimedia formats. In addition to presenting geographic ...

supporting ionic capital volutes. The lower portal gives access to the 13th century main hall: this is a three-nave room with eight bays covered by cross-vaults, supported by cylindrical columns. It was known as ''fondachi'', and was used by the Ascoli citizens as judiciary hall, market and storage hall. The section of the former Palazzo Arringo contains the Pinacoteca Civica (Municipal Art Gallery). This portion of the building was refurbished in the 17th and 18th centuries. The gallery was instituted in 1861 after the suppression of the religious orders led to the central concentration of many works of art.Tourism guide by the Province of the Marche
The palace of the commune currently houses the mayor's office.

Sources

* * {{Authority control Buildings and structures completed in the 12th century Houses completed in 1745

Arengo The Arengo was the name of the assembly that ruled San Marino from the fifth century A.D. to 1243, and of the popular councils which regulated the political life in Northern Italy free ''comuni'' in the Middle Ages as well. It was made up of the h ...

Museums in Marche Art museums and galleries in Marche Buildings and structures in Ascoli Piceno 1745 establishments in Europe