Palazzo Aldobrandeschi

Palazzo Aldobrandeschi is a Neo-Gothic civic palace on Grosseto's Piazza Dante, completed in 1903 to designs by Lorenzo Porciatti.

Why it matters

The palace was built as the headquarters of the Province of Grosseto on a site associated with a medieval public palace. Its revivalist architecture projected an image of medieval civic dignity for the newly unified province and remains a defining element of the city's main square.

What to notice

The Neo-Gothic facade faces the Duomo and the Canapone monument. The square's other layers include the medieval porticoes, the nineteenth-century Palazzo Comunale and chains that recall the historic arrangement around the statue. The Canapone depicts Leopold II of Lorraine with figures representing the Maremma and its struggle with malaria.

Context and history

Lorenzo Porciatti designed the palace over remains identified as probably belonging to the medieval Palazzo Pubblico. It was inaugurated on 31 May 1903. The square was once called Piazza delle Catene and later Piazza Vittorio Emanuele. Restoration in 2001 renewed elements of its historic layout, while Palazzo Aldobrandeschi continued as the provincial administration's headquarters.