Palazzo Crepadona (Biblioteca Civica)

Palazzo Crepadona, a sixteenth-century residence on the Piave side of Belluno, has housed the city's civic library since 1981. The complex preserves traces of Renaissance frescoes, a rooftop turret that may incorporate a medieval wall tower, and a Roman sarcophagus in its courtyard.

Why it matters

The palace takes its name from the Crepadoni family, who owned it for centuries. Niccolò Crepadoni formed the present residence by joining several earlier buildings. Municipal archive records mention the property from the second half of the sixteenth century, though its origins are older. Since 1981 it has housed the Biblioteca Civica and serves as a cultural centre.

What to notice

The altana, or rooftop turret, may preserve part of a tower once rising above the city walls. Traces of the original fresco decoration remain on the ground and first floors. Beneath the courtyard portico stands a third-century Roman sarcophagus of C. Flavio Ostilio Sertoriano and his wife Domizia, placed there in 1981. It was discovered in 1480 during excavation for the bell tower of Santo Stefano, whose earlier form stood on columns in Piazza Duomo.

Context and history

Palazzo Crepadona documents how a Bellunese family assembled older houses into a Renaissance residence. Its civic use began when the library moved there in 1981. The Biblioteca Civica preserves manuscripts, early printed books, periodicals and modern publications. The sarcophagus, found during the construction of Santo Stefano's bell tower, reflects the city's Renaissance interest in recovering and displaying Roman remains.