Palazzo Pubblico description and photos - Italy: Siena (Topic)

Palazzo Pubblico description and photos - Italy: Siena. Detailed information about the attraction. Description, photographs and a map showing the nearest significant objects. The name in English is Palazzo Pubblico.

Photo and description

Palazzo Pubblico is a luxurious palace in Siena, located in the main city square, Piazza del Campo. Its construction began in 1297 - it was originally supposed that the republican government, consisting of the head of the city of Podesta and the Council of Nine, would sit in the palace.

The exterior of the Palazzo is a fine example of medieval Italian architecture with Gothic influences. The lower floor is built of stone, while the upper crenellations are brick. The facade of the palace is slightly concave inward, which is predetermined by the slight bulge of Piazza del Campo, the central element of which is the Palazzo. The bell tower - Torre del Mangia - was built in the first half of the 14th century and is decorated by Lippo Memmi. The tower was designed in such a way to surpass the tower of neighboring Florence, Siena's main rival. At that time, Torre del Mangia was the tallest building in Italy. In the middle of the 14th century, it was equipped with a mechanical watch.

Almost every large room of the Palazzo Pubblico is decorated with frescoes, which are quite uncharacteristic for that period, since they were painted at the behest of the rulers of the city, and not at the behest of a church or religious brotherhood. Another unusual feature of these frescoes is that many of them depict secular objects rather than religious ones, which was typical of 14th century Italian art. The most famous frescoes of the Palazzo are those located in the Room of Nine - they are by Ambrogio Lorenzetti and are collectively known as "Allegory and Consequences of Good and Bad Government." In the scene depicting Good Governance, you can see a thriving city with people dancing in the streets, and under Bad Governance, crime is rampant, and sick people roam the ruined city. Unfortunately, this cycle, like many other frescoes in the Palazzo, is seriously damaged. One of the reasons for this is that the building once housed a storage facility for salt, which absorbed all the moisture from the walls, thereby causing the plaster to dry out and delamination of the frescoes.

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Topic: Palazzo Pubblico description and photos - Italy: Siena.