The buildings of the Broletto rise right in the center of the city, looking southward onto the Piazza del Duomo (now Piazza della Repubblica) and opening northward with a large brick arch onto Corso Italia, one of the most important commercial streets in the urban center.

The beating heart of the economic and political life of Civitatis Novariae, the Broletto complex, whose foundation dates back to the early 13th century, now consists of four buildings set around a large open space (the ancient broletum).

Among the buildings the best known is the Palazzo Arengario, located on the north side, imposing in its medieval architectural forms (13th-14th centuries); the most striking is the Palazzo del Podestà, for its pointed-arch windows decorated with remarkable terracotta cornices (late 14th, early 15th centuries). These are flanked to the east by the Palazzetto dei Paratici, whose ancient body ascribed to the mid-13th century is hidden by the loggia with Baroque features (18th century); to the west by the Palazzo della Refenderia extensively renovated in the 20th century in 15th-century style (erected between the late 14th and 15th centuries, documented as an administrative headquarters in 1618).

In 2011 on the occasion of the celebrations for the 150th anniversary of the unification of Italy, once the restoration work on the entire complex that lasted more than two years was completed, it was reopened to the public the prestigious Paolo and Adele Giannoni Gallery of Modern Art, consisting of the collection of nearly 1,000 works, including paintings, sculptures and drawings of Italian art ranging from the second half of the 19th century to the first half of the 20th century, collected by Alfredo Giannoni and donated to the City of Novara between the 1920s and 1930s.

Today, the Complex’s spaces (Arengo, Academy Hall and Courtyard) regularly host cultural and recreational events.

Contact

Address:  Via Fratelli Rosselli, 20 – 28100 Novara
Tel: +39 0321 3702755 / +39 0321 3702757
E-mail: musei@comune.novara.it
Website: Complesso Monumentale del Broletto di Novara