Palazzo Del Comune, Parma
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The Palazzo del Comune ("Palace of the Commune or Municipality") is a monumental building located in Piazza Garibaldi forming part of the civic center of
Parma Parma (; ) is a city in the northern Italian region of Emilia-Romagna known for its architecture, Giuseppe Verdi, music, art, prosciutto (ham), Parmesan, cheese and surrounding countryside. With a population of 198,986 inhabitants as of 2025, ...
, region of
Emilia Romagna Emilia-Romagna (, , both , ; or ; ) is an administrative region of northern Italy, comprising the historical regions of Emilia and Romagna. Its capital is Bologna. It has an area of , and a population of 4.4 million. Emilia-Romagna is one of ...
, Italy. The building houses municipal offices. Across the Piazza Garibaldi (and the busy intersections of Stradas Mazzini, della Republica, Cavour and Luigi Carlo Farini) are a number of other prominent buildings including the Palazzi del Podesta and del Governatore, and the neoclassical Church of San Pietro Apostolo.


History

The present late-
Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) is a Periodization, period of history and a European cultural movement covering the 15th and 16th centuries. It marked the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and was characterized by an effort to revive and sur ...
-style facade facing the piazza remains in unclad brick (typically the brick would have been covered by either stone or plaster. The present structure, with its tall open arcades, was designed starting in 1627 by Giovanni Battista Magnani, but only completed by 1673, without its external decoration. The adjacent, and linked, crenallated
Gothic Gothic or Gothics may refer to: People and languages *Goths or Gothic people, a Germanic people **Gothic language, an extinct East Germanic language spoken by the Goths **Gothic alphabet, an alphabet used to write the Gothic language ** Gothic ( ...
-style Palazzo della Podesta (built 1221–1240) gives a sense of the style of the building erected originally at this site between 1281 and 1282. The prior palace (Palazzo del Capitano del Popolo) had a tall tower build behind the facade and housed the town jail ("della Camusina"). However, the tower suffered a catastrophic collapse on January 27, 1606, killing 26 persons. The 17th-century reconstruction proceeded slowly, and the building was used for various civic, business, and military purposes. Over the centuries the structure it also acquired some commemorative decoration. In the 19th-century refurbishments were pursued by Girolamo Magnani and Sante Marco. In 1829, on the facade facing the nearby church of San Vitale,
Paolo Toschi Paolo Toschi (1788 – 30 July 1854) was an Italian draughtsman and engraver. He was born in Parma. Biography He trained in Paris under Charles Clément Bervic, and first made a reputation by a fine etching of ''Henry IV'', after Gérard. In 18 ...
installed a fountain surmounted in the niche by a copy of the statuary group depicting ''Hercules and Anteus'' (1684–1687) sculpted by Teodoro Vandersturck originally for the Palazzo del Giardino and now displayed in the courtyard of the
Palazzo Cusani A palace is a large residence, often serving as a royal residence or the home for a head of state or another high-ranking dignitary, such as a bishop or archbishop. The word is derived from the Latin name palātium, for Palatine Hill in Rome whi ...
. In 1870, the city, in an expression of civic pride, installed a monument to the painter
Correggio Antonio Allegri da Correggio (August 1489 – 5 March 1534), usually known as just Correggio (, also , , ), was an Italian Renaissance painter who was the foremost painter of the Parma school of the High Renaissance, who was responsible for som ...
, sculpted by Agostino Ferrarini. On the pilasters of the ground floor portico were a number of plaques, including one (1903) memorializing those fallen in the wars in the colonies of Libya, Somalia, and Ethiopia during the 19th century, completed by Alessandro Marzaroli. Another plaque honors ''Giuseppe Mazzini'' (1887) completed by
Giovanni Chierici Giovanni Chierici (1830–1917) was an Italian sculptor, active in Parma. He was born in Bigarello in 1830. He became a professor at the Academy of Fine Arts of Parma. He completed the statue of Parmigianino located in the Piazzale della Stecc ...
. Inside, the Council Hall was frescoed by Girolamo Magnani and
Cecrope Barilli Cecrope Barilli (; April 2, 1839 – June 23, 1911) was an Italian painter. Biography Born in Parma, as a young man he joined the forces fighting for Risorgimento, Italian independence at the Battle of Palestro. Afterwards he moved to Florence, ...
in 1885–86. The building displays paintings by
Annibale Carracci Annibale Carracci ( , , ; November 3, 1560 – July 15, 1609) was an Italian painter and instructor, active in Bologna and later in Rome. Along with his brother Agostino Carracci, Agostino and cousin Ludovico Carracci, Ludovico (with whom the Ca ...
,
Ilario Spolverini Ilario Spolverini (1657–1734), known as Spolverini, was an Italian painter. Biography Spolverini was born in Parma. The influence of Mercanti’s master Francesco Monti (il Brescianino), Francesco Monti, known as Brescianino, is evident in ...
, and Gervasio and
Bernardino Gatti Bernardino Gatti (c.1495 – 22 February 1576) was an Italian painter of the Renaissance, active mainly in Parma and Cremona. He is also commonly called il Sojaro. He was born in or near Pavia or Cremona. His early apprenticeship is unclear, ...
.Comune of Parma
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References


External links


Palazzo del Governatore – official city website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Palazzo Commune Buildings and structures in Parma
Comune A (; : , ) is an administrative division of Italy, roughly equivalent to a township or municipality. It is the third-level administrative division of Italy, after regions () and provinces (). The can also have the City status in Italy, titl ...
Parma Parma (; ) is a city in the northern Italian region of Emilia-Romagna known for its architecture, Giuseppe Verdi, music, art, prosciutto (ham), Parmesan, cheese and surrounding countryside. With a population of 198,986 inhabitants as of 2025, ...