Milan
The City Hall
The Arengario stands in Piazza Roma, the civil centre of the city where the old roads that arrive from Bergamo and Brianza converge.
The attractive building seems isolated in the square following the demolition of the next door Palazzo Pretorio where judges lived and a prison was housed. The two buildings communicated via an overhead bridge.
The Arengario - or Palazzo Comunale - was built in 1293 on the model of the earlier Palazzo della Ragione in Milan. The porticoed building has a pointed tower with Ghibelline swallowtail crenellations on the south front which was added around 1380.
Also on the south side there is a covered balcony from which speeches were made to the public. The main room on the first floor was reached via a double flight of steps on one of the facades.
In 1847, the structure of the two main fronts was changed to be able to accommodate offices. New windows were created and the entrance steps and connection to Palazzo Pretorio were demolished.
A renovation project was undertaken in 1905 by Ottorino Jotta to restore the building after it was seriously degraded by a series of alterations made during the 19th century. The aim of the renovation was to restore the building's medieval appearance. In doing so, the original structure was widely integrated with elements of the original style and a 'copy' of the Palazzo della Ragione in Milan was the result.
| Neighborhood: | North-east |
| Address: | Piazza Roma |
| Monza, Milano 20052 |