The Ducal Palace, now Palazzo Salvador Allende, is located at Corso Giuseppe Garibaldi, 55-59, in Reggio Emilia.
Historical Notes
The Palazzo Ducale overlooks the heart of Reggio Emilia’s historic center, along the elegant Corso Garibaldi. The building stands opposite the monumental Basilica of the Blessed Virgin of Ghiara, in an area once characterized by the Convent of San Pietro Martire and a cluster of medieval buildings.
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The palace is one of the urban elements that best illustrates the city transition from a medieval and religious structure to the modern form of the Renaissance and late-18th-century city. The palace assumed its current form at the end of the 18th century: in 1783, by decree of Duke Francesco III d’Este, it was decided to demolish the monastery of San Pietro Martire and build a new Palazzo di Governo for the city. The project was entrusted to architect Pietro Armani. By 1786, the building was substantially complete and soon after began its institutional function. Subsequently, in 1814, the city offered it to Duke Francesco IV of Habsburg-Este as his residence in Reggio. During the 19th and 20th centuries, the building was used as public offices (Prefecture, Province) and underwent various external and internal renovations, eventually incorporating pre-existing structures such as the Oratory of Santa Liberata
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Architecture
The building features a sober and imposing neoclassical facade that extends along Corso Garibaldi. The large volume was conceived as a palace of representation and government: three internal courtyards, a complex series of rooms spanning multiple floors, and a layout that emphasizes solemnity but also clarity of architectural axes
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In 1911, work was carried out that modified the interior and exterior layout, including the incorporation of the Oratory of Santa Liberata into the main body of the palace. The facade, the rhythm of the windows, and the regularity of the decorative elements reflect the style and proportion of public buildings in the late 18th century, when neoclassical taste was also taking hold in ducal residences
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Interior
After crossing the entrance and past the courtyards, the interior of the Palace features state rooms with impressive painted and tempera decorations. Of particular note are the decorations by Vincenzo Carnevali and Prospero Minghetti, who worked on some rooms on the main floor.
Leggi tutto Inside the Palace, the state apartment features four allegorical scenes: Venus and Cupid, Music, Spring, and Psyche, created by Domenico Marchelli (1763-1832). Other rooms retain Carnevali’s decorations. These spaces are not simply rooms: they are stages for the ducal representation, intended for ceremonies, audiences, and meetings with the city and administrators. The pictorial, allegorical, and mythological decorations emphasize the symbolic function of power: beauty serves to confer authority and communicate an ideal of enlightened governance. Interiorly, the spatial distribution favors a succession of rooms with passages leading from the state staircase to the halls, connected to the offices and command rooms. The three internal courtyards also act as a filter between the external city spaces and the centrality of the residence Riduci