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Palazzo della Comunità

Palace of the Community

The “Palazzotto”, or “Broletto” (a Court of Justice in old Lombard communes) is one of the main testimonies of the state/feud of Cusio, a protagonist of Lake Orta history for many centuries. Indeed, thanks to the approval of the Novara’s Bishops, Cusio area have enjoyed some autonomy and liberty for centuries.
St. Julius Riviera was formally established at the beginning of the XIIIth century, and Novara Bishop’s feud survived till the end of the XVIIIth century, when it was given to the Savoia family. A history of autonomy and peace, although this peace has been menaced several times, chiefly during the XVIth century, by the Lords of Milan - Sforza, Visconti and Borromeo - whose domination reached Arona, on Lake Maggiore.
The five centuries of the bishop’s feud marked the history of these places and the same atmosphere is present still today in the coastal suburbs: five centuries during which the different local communities were provided with their own constitutions, and they could be represented in the government.

The Palace of the Community stands out in the middle of Orta San Giulio, just in the square that faces directly the Lake and St. Julius Island. It is situated to the north, detached from the houses and the palaces that overlook the square.

The Palazzotto was the seat of Riviera’s government; there the Council of the Community used to meet in the past, and there the justice was administered, as the inscription above the main door testifies.

The “Palazzotto”, also said “Broletto”, was built in 1582 and it presents late-Renaissance features even today, like many other Italian common buildings, even if in miniature. The ground floor consists of a wide arcade of two and three pillars that props up the first floor.
This last is connected through a perron, and it consists of one large room with windows overlooking the square.

In the room a baroque fresco is kept, the Virgin Mary and the Saints Francis and Julius, the two symbols of the community (the Sacred Mount is consecrated to St. Francis, while the remains of St. Julius are kept in the homonymous Island Basilica).

Outside, the symbols of Novara Bishops who followed one another at the head of the government. Two sundials embellish the façade, and the remains of a third one are situated above the perron.
At the back, a mysterious fresco represents a lady at the window.

The heart of social and political life of the Riviera – the Broletto – is still evidence of a glorious and independent past and a history marked of the suburb’s autonomy; a history that has marked out Cusio’s life during the centuries.





Zone
Il Lago d`Orta

Locality
Orta San Giulio