Palazzo del Popolo (Palazzo del Podestà)

The Palazzo del Popolo, also called the Palazzo del Podestà or Palazzo Vecchio, stands on the eastern side of Todi's main square. Begun in the early thirteenth century, it is among Italy's oldest surviving communal palaces.

Why it matters

The palace was built during the early years of Todi's communal government. Its survival and continued civic use connect the town's present administration with the political institutions of the medieval commune.

What to notice

The ground floor opens onto a loggia arranged around a central pier. A seventeenth-century bridge links the palace to the Palazzo del Capitano, forming an elevated passage between the two civic buildings. The upper floors house part of Todi's civic museum collection.

Context and history

Sources date the beginning of construction to 1213 or to the period 1214–1228. The palace drew on northern Italian models of communal architecture. Its museum was founded in 1871 and reopened in a new arrangement in 1997. The building continues to serve as Todi's municipal headquarters.