Sale storiche del Palazzo Comunale

The historic rooms of Modena's Palazzo Comunale preserve painted and sculptural expressions of civic identity. Overlooking Piazza Grande, the building combines medieval communal origins with later architectural unification and decoration.

Why it matters

The palace developed from a group of civic buildings joined and remodelled over several centuries. Its historic interiors connect the administration of the city with images of ancient history, good government and local devotion.

What to notice

The Camerino dei Confirmati preserves the Secchia rapita, the wooden bucket associated with Modena's rivalry with Bologna and Alessandro Tassoni's mock-heroic poem. Nicolò dell'Abate's frescoes of 1546 in the Sala del Fuoco depict episodes of Roman history. The Sala del Vecchio Consiglio brings together ceiling decoration by Bartolomeo Schedoni and Ercole dell'Abate with later scenes of Saint Geminiano by Francesco Vellani.

Context and history

Seventeenth-century work gave coherence to the earlier buildings, while additions to the long portico continued into 1825. The clock tower incorporates the history of an older civic tower. Later works, including the installation of the bronze Perseus in 1952 after its survival of wartime bombing, extended the palace's commemorative role beyond its medieval origins.