The Palazzo del Governatore ("Palace of the Governor") 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 still houses municipal offices, as well as hosting cultural and social events. 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 Comune, and the neoclassical Church of San Pietro Apostolo.

History

A brick palace at the site was first erected in 1283, consisting of two wings separated by an alleyway. The palace housed formerly the lord, and then Governor of the town. Over the years it was occupied by various magistrates and legates for the commune. In 1606, after the collapse of a central bell-tower, the structure underwent reconstruction. The present bell-tower was erected in 1673 by the engineer Giovanni Battista Barattieri. On the façade, below the clock, is a niche with a statue depicting the ''Madonna being crowned by the child Jesus'' by Jean-Baptiste Boudard. Surrounding the statue are three sundials commissioned in 1829 by the

Marie Louise, Duchess of Parma Marie Louise (Maria Ludovica Leopoldina Franziska Theresia Josepha Lucia; 12 December 1791 – 17 December 1847) was Duchess of Parma from 11 April 1814 until her death in 1847. She was Napoleon's second wife and as such Empress of the French a ...

. Previously the niche held a 16th-century fresco depicting the crowned Virgin painted by Jacopo Bertoia. To the right of the door is affixed a plaque with the name of seven members of the Antifascist resistance who were executed on September 1, 1944, by a firing squad in this Piazza by the local Black Brigade. The brigade shot the prisoners in retaliation for the assassination of Brenno Monardi, local fascist leader by partisans. The present appearance of the façade is due to a Neoclassical refurbishment in the late 18th-century by E.A. Petitot. The piazza in front of the palace once held a Monument to the Ara Amicitiae (1769), also designed by Petitot, but it has been substituted by a statue of

Giuseppe Garibaldi Giuseppe Maria Garibaldi ( , ;In his native Ligurian language, he is known as (). In his particular Niçard dialect of Ligurian, he was known as () or (). 4 July 1807 – 2 June 1882) was an Italian general, revolutionary and republican. H ...

, by

Davide Calandra Davide Calandra (21 October 1856 – 8 September 1915) was an Italian sculptor and cabinet maker. Biography Davide Calandra was born in Turin into a wealthy family. His father, besides his professional activities of lawyer and hydraulic enginee ...

.Comune of Parma
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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Palazzo Governtore Buildings and structures in Parma Governatore Museums in Parma