Loggia Amulea

Loggia Amulea is a neo-Gothic style palace in Padua, located on the western side of the beautiful square of Prato della Valle.

SHORT HISTORY

The Loggia takes its name from the cardinal Marco Antonio da Mula, known also as Amulio, who founded in Padua the Collegio Amulio and the Compagnia del Gran Nome di Dio, dedicated to the assistance of orphans. He owned a palace in Prato della Valle, which was destroyed by a fire in 1822.

The Municipality of Padua then decided to built a new palace. Initially, the building was supposed to be divided into cafes, dance halls, game rooms, theaters, but later it was preferred to be used for military purpose.

Around 1860, among the various competing projects, it was chosen the one presented by the architect Eugenio Maestri.

The palace was the seat of the Padua fire brigade between 1906 and 1989. It currently houses some municipal offices.

ART AND ARCHITECTURE

The front of the building is characterized by an elegant loggia, a two-storey neo-Gothic structure which recovers medieval elements, especially in the use of architectural decorations in terracotta (architraves, tiles, pilasters).

Between the lower arches of the loggia, there are the statues of the poet Dante Alighieri and the painter Giotto di Bondone, works of the sculptor Vincenzo Vela.

On the wall of the portico, we can find a bronze bas-relief depicting the Italian politician and poet Felice Cavallotti, work of Giovanni Rizzo, a bronze medallion by Alfonso Taglioni, a plaque with an inscription of Alberto Cavalletto in memory of the Paduan students who fell in the wars of independence, and a marble plate engraved with a Gabriele d’Annunzio sonnet dedicated to Padua.

HOW TO GET THERE

Loggia Amulea is located in Prato della Valle, about 2.1 kilometers away from the Padua railway station. The closest tram stop is Prato, about 200 meters away, on the tram Line SIR1. The closest bus stop is Prato Valle Ang. Belludi, on the bus Lines U03, U05, U11, U12, U13, U14, U16, U22 and U88.