The Palazzo Comunale di Spello (Town Hall) was erected in Piazza della Repubblica in 1270 to a design by Mastro Prode, under the rule of the podestà (chief magistrate) Giacomo del Mastro, on the site of a probable pre-existing palazzo. The appearance of the building, with the fall of the Baglioni lordship, underwent several changes at the end of the 16th century and then again in the 17th century, when the structure was extended on the eastern side and another storey was added. It owes its present appearance to works carried out in 1939 plus additional restoration after the earthquake in 1997. Although it is the seat of some municipal offices, it is also used as a municipal venue with conference rooms and spaces for exhibitions.
On the ground floor we can admire two ogival arches that lead to the palazzo’s ancient loggia which houses a plaque in memory of Spello’s 86 fallen and 14 missing during the First World War: it is the work of the artist Benvenuto Crispoldi and depicts the homeland. Above the loggia one can observe the three Romanesque blank, double lancet windows, two on Via Garibaldi and one on the square, surmounted by elegant capitals. On the side of the arcade there was a flight of stairs which was demolished in the 16th century and replaced by a fountain by Pope Julius III Del Monte: a basin accompanied by two Ionic columns, an entablature with festoon decorations and four coats of arms, including that of Pope Julius III. Above the fountain we can see a damaged 20th century Annunciation, while at the top of the building we see the tower with the town clock.
Palazzo Comunale now has three accessible floors, with a total of 26 internal rooms. Entering the atrium of the building, you can see the walled collection of Roman archaeological finds, while the Sala delle Volte hosted the ‘Monte di Pietà’ (pawnbroker’s) in the 15th century and is now used for temporary exhibitions. The Sala dell’Editto contains the Rescript of Constantine and is decorated with wonderful views of Spello by the 19th-century painter Gaetano Pompei of Amandola. You’ll go through the Sala Petrucci, the Sala degli Stemmi, with the genealogical tree of the most important Spello families starting from the 16th century, and then the ‘Fondo Antico’, an archive that has about 4,000 volumes, including a precious incunabulum printed in Venice in 1474. Certainly the most important room is the Sala degli Zuccari, with its magnificent cycle of frescoes from the 16th century, previously thought to be by Federico and Taddeo Zuccari but now attributed to Ascensidonio Spacca, aka Fantino.
Of great importance is the ‘Emilio Greco’ Permanent Collection, set up on the second floor of the building, focusing on the many facets of the female world.