Monza, Arengario

The Arengario was built at the end of the 13th century. This ancient communal Palace was from time to time the seat of the City Government, of the courthouse and of merchants' assemblies.
The large colonnade in two spans with stone pillars among ogival arches, was once used as a market. The tower in the north-west corner, crenellated and cuspidate, dates back to the end of the 14th century. The small "loggia" ("parlera") with a stone parapet and a book-stand, in the southern side, from which decrees and city orders were read, was added in 1380. Art exhibits are held in the interior, in the large superior hall covered with trusses.
At present, the building is closed. In the future, it will again host the Archaelogical Museum, with weapons from the Bronze Age, ceramics, vases, jewellery and coins from the Roman age, frescoes and temperas on wooden panels coming from churches in the Monza area that were destroyed.