One of the most interesting buildings in the Piazza Brà in Verona is the town hall, the 19th century Palazzo Barbieri. Unfortunately, the interior cannot be visited by tourists.
Palazzo Barbieri Verona
Address, opening hours and ticket price
Address: Piazza Brà, 1 – 37121 Verona. Telephone: +39 0458077111. Opening Hours: Not open to the public. Public transport: Bus: 11, 12, 13, 72, 90, 92, 93, 96, 97, 98, 510.
History
The Palazzo Barbieri is located on the north side of Piazza Bra. It is a neoclassical palace built between 1836 and 1848, when Verona was part of the Austrian Empire. In those days, the entire square was leveled off in order to better display the hitherto underground parts of the amphitheater.
It was originally intended for the Corpo della Guardia Civica army unit. The project was inspired by the ancient Roman temples. The architect was Giuseppe Barbieri, to whom the palazzo ultimately also owes its name.
What to see
The central part is characterized by an protruding pronaos, which is reached by means of a monumental staircase. A large triangular pediment with the city’s coat of arms can be seen above. The two wings are characterized by huge semi-pillars between which the rectangular windows of the building can be seen.
Most of the rooms inside the building, which unfortunately cannot be visited, are used as office space. Exceptions are the Sala di Rappresentanza, the Sala degli Arazi and the Sala del Consiglio Comunale.
The Sala di Rappresentanza is decorated with paintings by Carlo Ferrari and Angelo Dall’Oca Bianca, among others.
Two enormous canvases are on display in the Sala degli Arazi, or “Room of the Tapestries”. La Cena in Casa di Levi (“Dinner in the House of Lev”) comes from the Venetian monastery of San Giacomo alla Giudecca and was made by Benedetto and Carletto Caliari. The second canvas was made by Paolo Farinati and depicts the “Victory of the Veronese” (over the troops of Federico Barbarossa). The latter is part of a cycle that used to decorate the rooms of the Loggia del Consiglio in the Piazza dei Signori.
Also in the Sala del Consiglio Comunale hangs a huge painting from the above-mentioned cycle. It was painted towards the end of the 16th century by Felice Brusasorci and depicts the “Victory of the Veronese over the Benacensi”.