The Palazzo Comunale of Nepi takes up the entire north side of the Piazza del Comune. The building was constructed in the mid-16th century, after an initial project by Antonio da Sangallo the Younger.
Palazzo Comunale Nepi
Useful information
Address: Piazza del Comune – Nepi. Phone: N/A. The building is not accessible for tourists.
History and description
Work on Nepi’s Town Hall was started in 1542. Construction started in 1542, under Antonio da Sangallo the Younger. However, the work was finished more than 2 centuries later, by Michele Locatelli in 1744.
Antonio da Sangallo had been commissioned by the Farnese family, at the time rulers of Nepi, to design the Palazzo Comunale. Several houses on the north side of the square had to be demolished in order to facilitate the new construction. In those days, the square was still called Sant’Eleuterio, after a now no longer existing church.
Although Antonio had designed the palazzo, the work was supervised by his brother Giovanni Battista da Sangallo, with the help of Benedetto Zaccagni and Andrea da Fiorenzuola.
The original construction consisted of two floors and a turret. The ground floor was preceded by a portico.
In 1744, the architect Michele Locatelli added one floor. During this reconstruction the peperino balustrade was also added.
What to see
Fountain
The fountain was added in 1727, after the aqueduct had been constructed. It was designed by Filippo Barigioni and sculpted by Francesco Pincellotti. Barigioni (1672-753), a pupil of Carlo Fontana, had also been responsible for the aqueduct itself.
The tower encircled by the serpent in the center of the fountain is the symbol of Nepi. The masks represent Silenes.
Sala Nobile
Two Roman painters, Domenico Torti and Ludovico De Mauro, frescoed the Sala Nobile in the mid-19th century. At the same time, they were also working in the Cathedral.
The ceiling fresco depicts the “Madonna and Child”. The patron saints of Nepi, Tolomeo and Romano, are also pictured.
The frescoes depict illustrious persons from Nepi and important events in the city’s history, including the foundation of the city by Termoo Larte, 548 years before Rome. The female figures between the events personify virtues.