Banca d'Italia (palazzo)

The former Bank of Italy building stands on Piazza Ebalia in Taranto's Borgo Umbertino. Designed by Cesare Bazzani, its symmetrical façade and monumental proportions reflect the public architecture of the early twentieth century.

Why it matters

The building formed part of the institutional quarter that grew east of the old town as Taranto developed around its naval arsenal and port. Its original role as a bank and its later conversion to university use illustrate the changing functions of the Borgo's civic architecture.

What to notice

The façade is organised around a rusticated ground floor, aligned windows on the piano nobile and a prominent cornice. The restrained composition relies on proportion rather than applied ornament. The Rosa dei Venti fountain stands in the square, with the former Post Office and other institutional buildings nearby.

Context and history

Architect Cesare Bazzani, who died in 1939, designed the building, which the municipal heritage portal says was inaugurated a few years later. The Bank of Italy branch eventually closed, and the property was repurposed. The municipal source records the Faculty of Medicine and Surgery as occupying the building from 2021.