Modena: Palazzo Comunale

The Palazzo Comunale (Town Hall/Municipal Palace) is a complex that consists of a number 17th century buildings. At the time, each building served a different function.

When we decided to detour to the palazzo, it was because we were looking for a higher vantage point to photograph the Duomo. We didn’t find a terrace with a view of Piazza Grande. But we hit the jackpot with a series of historical rooms, some of which were decorated with frescos and paintings.

The Palazzo is open from 1:00p to 3:00p on Saturdays. We found that out after the fact, however. And technically, reservations are required for the free DIY tour. Oooops! In our defense, the clerk who saw us wandering around the rooms at 11:30a said nothing to us. At least we were well within the 32 minutes visitors are allowed for their visit.

Doing a bit of research on the palazzo after we got home, I found a virtual tour (https://salestoriche.unesco.modena.it/en/) that gave me a hint of why we were perhaps ‘under the radar’ during our visit. We didn’t enter through the corridor to the building. Rather, once a bride and groom, who had just tied the knot, came down a set of stairs overlooking the piazza, we used the same staircase to go up … being careful not to slip on the rice the wedding party had thrown at the pair.

The staircase led us to the entrance to the historic halls. The first room was the Camerino dei Confirmati (Chamber of the Confirmed) … once a small loggia that overlooked the palace of the Marquis d’Este.

Branching off to the right from here was the Sala del Fuoco (Hall of the Fire), thought to have been named for the large fireplace where embers were kept hot for the peddlers in the square. Frescoes rimming the walls tell the story of the Siege of Modena (63-42 BC).

Crossing back to the Chamber of the Confirmed, we found ourselves walking through a series of rooms that branch off from the left. First was the Sala del Vecchio Consiglio (Hall of the Old Council) … where the municipal council met in the 17th century. The vault of the chamber features paintings celebrating patriotism and the virtues of good governance.

This room led to the Sala Degli Arazzi (Hall of the Tapestries). Instead of woven tapestries, however, here we found painted imitations by Vannulli of invaluable tapestries that depict scenes from the Peace of Constance and celebrate the role Modena played in the Lombard League events.

What is referred to as the Sala dei Matrimoni (Hall of Weddings) was the last room we explored. The room, which was formerly used as an archive, was more simply decorated with portraits and paintings on the walls that “… represent an ideal gallery of 19th century Modanese figures.”

Spotting a courtyard and a grand wrought iron gate, we left the palazzo via a different staircase … too many posters on the gate to photograph it, but we were rewarded with a statue of Perseus to wrap up our visit.

I would love to return to the Palazzo Comunale with my long lens to photograph some of the fresco details. When we do so, we’ll make sure to make a reservation!Læs mere