Palazzo Roncalli

Palazzo Roncalli in Vigevano combines an ornate nineteenth-century facade with the history of a philanthropic bequest. Senator Roncalli left the building to the city for an institute of arts and trades serving poorer residents.

Why it matters

The palace connects the city's entrepreneurial history with education and social advancement. Its exterior celebrates figures from literature, science and the arts, giving the building's educational associations a visible expression.

What to notice

The rusticated facade has first-floor window lunettes with Viggiù-stone portraits carved by Bottinelli. The ten figures include Dante, Galileo, Raphael, Canova, Palladio and Volta. The entrance door dates from the second half of the nineteenth century. Porticoes frame the first courtyard, while the second contains a wall fountain dated 1793. Interior rooms preserve frescoes, stucco and period furnishings.

Context and history

The Roncalli family owned the palace from 1812 and remodelled it from 1847. Its later connection with the arts-and-trades institution carried the senator's charitable purpose into the city's educational history. The principal reception room is known as the Sala dell'Ottocento.