Palazzo Landi

Palazzo Landi is a late-fifteenth-century residence in Piacenza, designed for the Landi family and now used as the city’s courthouse. Its Renaissance façade combines terracotta ornament with a marble portal carved in 1482–83 by Giovan Pietro and Gabriele da Rho.

Why it matters

The palace is attributed to Giovanni Battagio da Lodi and Agostino de Fonduli. Its rusticated base, ordered windows and classical mouldings introduce Renaissance forms into a city known for its medieval brick architecture. It also reflects a change in civic power: Duke Ottavio Farnese requisitioned the Landi residence in 1578, and it later became the seat of the Farnese state’s supreme council of justice.

What to notice

The terracotta frieze beneath the roofline is crowded with sirens, medallions and martial trophies. At street level, the marble portal is composed like a small triumphal arch. A porticoed courtyard is associated with columns attributed to Bernardo Riccardi di Anghiera and dated 1485.

Context and history

The Jesuits were lodged in the palace from 1582; it later housed the Tribunale delle Finanze and continues as a courthouse. The building’s judicial role has preserved its place in the city’s institutional life, while the façade retains its late-fifteenth-century sculptural character.