Palazzo del Monte di Pietà

The historic Palazzo del Monte di Pietà, now the seat of the Fondazione Cassa dei Risparmi di Forlì, is located at number 45 Corso Garibaldi. The dark brick building, a monument of great artistic interest, was built on the site where one of the Orsi palaces was demolished in 1488, in the area known as the “Orsi fault”. Construction began in 1549 to a design by an unknown architect and was completed in 1646. The imposing façade has, in the first order, nine semi-circular arches with terracotta lintels and keystone volutes, interspersed with ten pilasters with sandstone Ionic capitals. The second order, starting from the architrave, is made up of sober openings divided by Corinthian pilasters. On the ground floor there is a splendid fresco dating from the early 17th century depicting a Pietà with Saints Mercuriale and Valeriano and a large vaulted hall. Between 1623 and 1646 the palace was further raised and the upper part completed. A bell tower was later added to the roof, which still exists today. Further alterations were made at the end of the 19th century, when it was decided to open a gap in the eastern façade. In 1931, all the arches in the façade were opened to create shops. During the Second World War, an air-raid shelter was built inside, and after the liberation of Forlì, it was the headquarters of the Allied Command Post in Forlì.