Castel Goffredo Town Hall (also called Palazzo della Ragione) and ''Loggia della Magnifica Comunità'' are located in Piazza Mazzini in

Castel Goffredo Castel Goffredo (; ) is a (municipality) in the province of Mantua, in Lombardy, northern Italy, from Mantua and a few more from Brescia. It lies in a region of springs at the foot of the slopes that drain into Lake Garda, towards the plain of th ...

, in the

Province of Mantua The province of Mantua (; Emilian language#Dialects, Mantuan, Emilian language#Dialects, Lower Mantuan: ; Emilian language#Dialects, Upper Mantuan: ) is a Provinces of Italy, province in the Lombardy region of Italy. Its capital is the city of M ...

(

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

). It is the seat of the municipality.

History

The ancient communal building (''domus Comunis'') (or ''Palazzo del Vicario'') was placed on the right side of the civic tower in the ancient "Piazza del Ponte dell'Olmo"; appears to have been present since 1337, when Castel Goffredo, with a public act by the notary Giacomino Gandolfi, placed himself under the protection of

Ludovico I Gonzaga Ludovico I Gonzaga (1268 – 18 January 1360) was an Italian lord, the founder of the Gonzaga family who was the first capitano del popolo of Mantua and imperial vicar. Biography Born in Mantua, he was the son of Guido Corradi and the grandson of ...

, the first

capitano del popolo Captain of the people () was an administrative title used in Italy during the Middle Ages, established essentially to balance the power and authority of the noble families of the Italian city-states.Najemy, John M. 2006. ''A History of Florence 1 ...

Mantua Mantua ( ; ; Lombard language, Lombard and ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Italian region of Lombardy, and capital of the Province of Mantua, eponymous province. In 2016, Mantua was designated as the "Italian Capital of Culture". In 2 ...

. This building was ceded in 1480, passing into property to Ludovico Gonzaga (1460-1511),

bishop of Mantua The Diocese of Mantua () is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church in Italy. The diocese existed at the beginning of the 8th century, though the earliest attested bishop is Laiulfus (827). It has been a suffrag ...

and marquis of Castel Goffredo, who intended to make it his residence. It is therefore possible to hypothesize that the current structure was built after the aforementioned sale. Every year the general neighborhood was gathered in the house which, composed of all the heads of the family, appointed the Council to take care of public service assignments. Castel Goffredo-Stemma del Comune

Description

The oldest, main facade overlooking piazza Mazzini is in

neoclassical style Neoclassicism, also spelled Neo-classicism, emerged as a Western cultural movement in the decorative and visual arts, literature, theatre, music, and architecture that drew inspiration from the art and culture of classical antiquity. Neoclassici ...

. On the ground floor there is the "Loggia delle grida" or "Loggia della Magnifica Comunità" where the neighborhood was located. A commemorative plaque on the right of the entrance recalls the

battle of Solferino The Battle of Solferino (referred to in Italy as the Battle of Solferino and San Martino) on 24 June 1859 resulted in the victory of the allied Second French Empire, French army under Napoleon III and the Kingdom of Piedmont-Sardinia, Piedmont- ...

on June 24,

1859 Events January–March * January 21 – José Mariano Salas (1797–1867) becomes Conservative interim President of Mexico. * January 24 ( O. S.) – Under the rule of Alexandru Ioan Cuza, the provinces of Wallachia and Moldavia are uni ...

and the French marshal

François Certain de Canrobert François Marcellin Certain de Canrobert (; born François Certain Canrobert; 27 June 1809 – 28 January 1895) was a French Marshal of France, Marshal. He demonstrated ability during the Second French Empire while participating in the Battle of ...

. On the first floor there are four windows with a central balcony. The council hall, with a frescoed ceiling (1850) recently restored, in the nineteenth century housed the municipal

theater Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actors to present experiences of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a stage. The performers may communi ...

of the city. Inside, in modern style, there is an iron sculpture by the Mantuan sculptor Ferruccio Bolognesi (1924-2002) representing the characters of the Virgil's

Aeneid The ''Aeneid'' ( ; or ) is a Latin Epic poetry, epic poem that tells the legendary story of Aeneas, a Troy, Trojan who fled the Trojan War#Sack of Troy, fall of Troy and travelled to Italy, where he became the ancestor of the Ancient Rome ...

which, according to some scholars, was born in the territory of Castel Goffredo. Davide Nardoni, La terra di Virgilio, in Archeologia Viva, N.1/2, gennaio-febbraio 1986, pp. pag.71-76.

Municipal art collection

In the council hall the

art collection A museum is distinguished by a collection of often unique objects that forms the core of its activities for exhibitions, education, research, etc. This differentiates it from an archive or library, where the contents may be more paper-based, repl ...

is exhibited, with works representing Castel Goffredo in the twentieth century. There is also a marble

altar An altar is a table or platform for the presentation of religion, religious offerings, for sacrifices, or for other ritualistic purposes. Altars are found at shrines, temples, Church (building), churches, and other places of worship. They are use ...

dating from the 1st century BC and the first century AD dedicated to Mercury found at the end of 1900 in the Poiano district and bearing the following inscription: L.V.I. / MERCUR / V.S.L.M ..

References

Bibliography

* Costante Berselli, Castelgoffredo nella storia, 1978. Mantova. * Francesco Bonfiglio, Notizie storiche di Castelgoffredo, 2005, Mantova. . * Vivi la città. Comune di Castel Goffredo, 1999, Reggio Emilia, curatore=Comune di Castel Goffredo.

External links

* {{in lang, it}
Province of Mantua. Municipality of Castel Goffredo. Repertoire of goods of significant historical and cultural value. 2010.
Castel Goffredo City and town halls in Italy Buildings and structures in Castel Goffredo Buildings and structures in Lombardy