Palazzo Parasi

Palazzo Parasi stands beside Cannobio's civic bell tower. Built in 1291 as the Palazzo della Ragione, the granite building served the town's civic and judicial life and preserves a medieval portico and upper hall.

Why it matters

Palazzo Parasi is a substantial example of medieval civic architecture on Lake Maggiore. For centuries it housed public functions including council assemblies and courts; its changing uses also included a prison and a school. The building preserves a record of Cannobio's communal life across several centuries.

What to notice

The rectangular, two-storey structure is built from squared granite blocks above an open portico with barrel vaults. Two-light mullioned windows mark the upper floor, once used for the general council. An inscription in the eastern wall records the thirteenth-century building, while the portico contains carved stones, inscriptions, coats of arms and Roman sarcophagi gathered from the surrounding area. The adjoining civic bell tower forms part of the medieval group.

Context and history

An inscription in the portico attributes the palace's construction in 1291 to the podestà Ugolino da Mandello. The nearby bell tower dates to 1205–1209. The palace's ground floor accommodated markets, courts and other public business, while the upper floor housed the general council. It later served as a court, prison and school. After a period of neglect, restoration work carried out between 2012 and 2014 returned the building to cultural use.