Palazzo Ripa

Palazzo Ripa is a seventeenth-century residence beside Porta Leuca in Specchia. Its battlemented profile and small upper tower frame a distinctive loggia of seven round arches, with a portico added in 1900.

Why it matters

The palace connects aristocratic residence, the old town's defensive perimeter and public space. The covered loggia beneath the residence was reserved for public use, and the portico added in 1900 formalized its relationship with the square.

What to notice

The rectangular building has a battlemented upper profile and a small tower added in the eighteenth century. An open, balustraded loggia runs across two sides of the upper level, supported by seven round arches. Beneath it, the covered loggia and the 1900 portico form a sheltered frontage beside Porta Leuca.

Context and history

The palace takes its name from the Ripa family, counts who owned the seventeenth-century residence. In 1900 its owners commissioned the portico and bought the required space from the municipality; the Pro Loco account links the arrangement to a bequest that preserved public use of the lower loggia. The property passed from the Ripa heirs in the mid-twentieth century.