Palazzo del PodestÃ
The Palazzo del Podestà (Palace of Podestà ) of Bologna was built around 1200 on the nascent Piazza Maggiore, as a building for fulfilling public functions and as the seat of the Podestà and his officials. Today's complex has a quite different appearance than in the Middle Ages, especially since the present Palazzo Re Enzo was built later.
The Palace
It is a large building, which is crossed by two streets. These two streets intersect the bottom of the Voltone Podestà ( vault of the Podestà ), towering over the so-called Torre dell'Arengo, the tower with the bell through which the population was summoned in extraordinary events. Under the vaulted ceiling were in 1525 set up by Alfonso Lombardi terracotta statues of the saints patron saints of the city, Petronius, Proculus, Dominic and Francis of Assisi, situated in the four corners. In 1453 Aristotele Fioravanti terminated the bell today and designed the facade into a Renaissance style at the behest of Giovanni II Bentivoglio. The palace was used between the 15th century and the 18th century as a theater and was decorated by Adolfo De Carolis at the beginning of the 20th century with a series of murals ( including a fresco Title abolition of serfdom in memory of the events of 1256 and the Liber Paradisus ).
Curious thing
Under the Voltone del Podestà one can perceive an extraordinary auditory event: the visitor can communicate with each other that is also in a low voice from the four corners of the vault of opposed.