The Palazzo del Broletto, today Brescia’s Town Hall, is a structure typical of medieval northern Italy, built around a walled vegetable garden, known as a "brolo".
The current complex is a collection of buildings dating from the 12th to the 20th century, with parts rebuilt after WWII bombing. Initially built of wood, next to the Torre del Popolo (or Pegol) near the Cathedral of San Pietro de Dom, it was rebuilt in stone in the 1220s and enlarged by incorporating other buildings. It then took the name Palatium Novum Maius, the seat of the podestà and the general council, today the southern wing of the complex. The loggia delle Grida, overlooking the square, also dates back to this period. It was demolished in 1797 by Jacobin revolutionaries because it was a symbol of power, and faithfully rebuilt between 1889 and 1894. Behind is the large Council hall, once completely frescoed (small portions remain in the attic, depicting scenes of city life).
In the years that followed, a new wing (known as the Palatium Novum Minus) was built on the western side overlooking the square with a Gothic portico with pointed arches.
The complex has been remodelled several times over the centuries. Gentile da Fabriano decorated the Palatine Chapel of San Giorgio in 1414, but only a few fresco fragments survive today, the rest lost in the 17th century.
Today, the inner courtyard is still accessible and provides a pedestrian link between piazza Paolo VI and via Mazzini.
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