Ordelaffi Palace

The Town Hall was built by Pino I Ordelaffi when he conquered Bertinoro in 1306, ousting the Guelphs.

The eight massive Byzantine and Roman style columns of local stone date back to a period

prior to the 14th century, as the wall texture is composed of residual material. It is

believed, actually, that the construction of the palace took place using material from

pre-existing buildings. However,The Ghibelline battlements are the work of the neo-medieval restoration carried out by architect Cesare Bazzani in 1934.

On the first floor there are two rooms: Sala del Popolo, for town meetings, and Sala della Fama, better known as the Sala Quadri because it houses a series of paintings dedicated to the history of Bertinoro by the painter Antonio Zambianchi (1748-1780).

Of particular value is the painting by the Marche-born Francesco Podesti (1800-1895) entitled ‘Stamira sets fire to the machines at the siege of Ancona’, which is located inside the Mayor’s Office.

Under the arcade, in 1921, in commemoration of Dante Alighieri’s 600th anniversary of his death, an epigraph bearing verses from the 14th Purgatory canto XIV, recalling Bertinoro, was placed.

Sala del Popolo and Sala Quadri can be visited during office hours (Mon-Fri: 7.30 am-1.30 pm / Tue-Thu: 2 pm – 17.00).