Palazzo Comunale

Orvieto's Palazzo Comunale stands on Piazza della Repubblica beside the church of Sant'Andrea. Its seven-arched loggia preserves the medieval civic building, while later additions record successive campaigns of reconstruction.

Why it matters

The palace has served as a seat of civic government since the commune's medieval period. It forms the civic counterpart to the religious and papal buildings around the city's main squares.

What to notice

The ground-floor arcade has seven round arches, with Via Garibaldi passing through its central opening. The upper storeys reflect later alterations, including Ippolito Scalza's sixteenth-century remodelling. The palace and the adjacent church of Sant'Andrea frame Piazza della Repubblica.

Context and history

Construction began in the early thirteenth century and continued through 1290. After damage and periods of decline, the palace was remodelled by Scalza in the sixteenth century. A later restoration at the end of the nineteenth century altered the upper windows. The building continues to house Orvieto's municipal government.