Tag: palace in Verona

Palazzo del Capitanio, also known as Palazzo del Tribunale or Palazzo di Cansignorio, is a beautiful palace in Verona, located in Piazza dei Signori, between Palazzo della Ragione and Palazzo del Podesta.   SHORT HISTORY The construction of the palace was commissioned by Cansignorio della Scala and probably completed in 1363. Originally, the building was a fortified palace, austere and spartan, with three large towers at the corners, of which only one still stands. The current appearance of the palace dates back to the 16th century, when, during the Venetian domination, the palace was chosen as the seat of the Captain and his offices. The Republic of Venice ordered various rearrangements of the building – the facade was redesigned in Renaissance style and a small theater was open in one of the palace halls. The theater was subsequently closed and the hall was used for other purposes. During the Austrian domination, the building was used as a judicial court. After the Veneto region, including Verona, became part of the Kingdom of Italy, restorations of the palace were planned, and conducted beginning with 1880. In 1882, the remaining tower was restored, the windows of the upper floors were arranged, and the Read more [...]

Palazzo della Gran Guardia is an imposing palace located in the historical center of Verona, in Piazza Bra, close to the Arena.   SHORT HISTORY The birth certificate of the palace was signed on September 26, 1609, with a formal request from Captain Mocenigo to Nicolò Donà, the Doge of Venice. For the construction of the structure, it was chosen a location close to the walls of the Citadel, in order to have a wall already built, and to reduce costs and work times. On December 30, 1609, the authorization was granted by the Doge, but in 1614 the budget for the construction was exhausted and the works were suspended. Only in 1808, the works resumed, after almost two hundred years of inactivity. The construction was entrusted to the architect Giuseppe Barbieri, who will also build Palazzo della Gran Guardia Nuova (Palazzo Barbieri), now the city’s Town Hall. However, the works began only in 1818, under the rule of the Habsburg Empire. In 1848, the works, still in progress, were stopped because the building was used by the Austrian army during the first war of independence. Palazzo della Gran Guardia was finally completed in 1853. The palace is now used Read more [...]

Palazzo del Podesta, also known as Palazzo del Governo (Government Palace) or Palazzo di Cangrande, is a medieval palace in Verona, located in Piazza dei Signori, between Loggia del Consiglio and Palazzo di Cansignorio.   SHORT HISTORY Palazzo del Podesta was comissioned by the Scaligeri in the second half of the 13th century for Alberto I della Scala, who came to power in 1277. In 1311, his son, Cangrande I della Scala, took up residence in the palace. During the lordship of Cangrande I, many illustrious men found hospitality in the palace, including prominent personalities such as the poet Dante Alighieri and the painter Giotto di Bondone. Dante, exiled from Florence, stayed for a long time in the palace. In fact, Piazza dei Signori is also called by the locals Piazza Dante, and in the center of the square we can find the statue of the poet. With the fall of the Scala dynasty, the palace became, during the Venetian occupation, the seat of important magistrates. The palace also hosted the offices of the podesta (chief magistrate), from which took its name. Remodeled several times over the centuries, the palace was restored to its medieval appearance in the 1920s by Read more [...]

Loggia del Consiglio, also known as Loggia of Fra’ Giocondo, is a Renaissance style palazzo located in Piazza dei Signori, in Verona, adjacent to Palazzo del Podesta. The palace is currently used as the seat of the City Council.   SHORT HISTORY Although the construction of the loggia was planned by the Municipality of Verona at the beginning of the 15th century, to be used for the meetings of the local council, the work on the building began only in 1476. The design and construction of the loggia lasted a long time. The works practically finished in 1492, but most of the decorations were added later. Today, the palace is also known as the Loggia di Fra’ Giocondo, but only for an error appeared in the 19th century. Fra Giocondo was an architect and a Veronese monk, also very active in cities like Rome and Paris, to whom the work was erroneously attributed.   ART AND ARCHITECTURE Loggia del Consiglio has marble columns built with marble from all over the world, even with green marble from China, thanks to the Silk Road trade. The facade had two bronze high-reliefs depicting the Archangel Gabriel and the Virgin of the Annunciation, which Read more [...]

Palazzo Barbieri, also known as Palazzo della Gran Guardia Nuova, is a Neoclassical palace in Verona, located in Piazza Bra, near the famous Arena di Verona. Today, the palace houses the city’s Town Hall.   SHORT HISTORY Palazzo Barbieri was designed by the architect Giuseppe Barbieri, who was also the author of the Monumental Cemetery of Verona, and also participated in the construction of Palazzo della Gran Guardia. The construction of the palace began in 1836 and was completed in 1848. During the Austrian occupation, the building was used mainly for military purposes, as the headquarters of the Imperial Royal Command of the City. After the region of Veneto became part of the Kingdom of Italy, the palace was chosen as the seat of the Municipality of Verona. On the night of February 23, 1945, in one of the most destructive bombings of World War II, Palazzo Barbieri was hit and badly damaged. After the war, it was quickly rebuilt and enlarged, after a design by the architects Raffaele Benatti and Guido Troiani, and inaugurated in March 1950.   ART AND ARCHITECTURE The palace has an imposing facade, with a pronaos set on a central block, delimited by tall Corinthian Read more [...]