Palazzo della Signoria

The Palazzo della Signoria in Jesi is one of the most imposing public buildings in the Marche region of Italy. Dominating Piazza Colocci from its elevated position, this grand structure is a masterpiece of Renaissance architecture and a testament to the rich history of Jesi.

The History of Palazzo della Signoria

Originally, the Palazzo della Signoria served as the seat of the Gonfaloniere and the Priori, the city’s magistrates. In 1586, it was handed over to the Papal Magistrate and became the Governor’s Palace until the unification of Italy. The building rests on the northeastern side on the foundations of an ancient Roman theater and was constructed between 1486 and 1498 after the demolition of the medieval Palazzo dei Priori. The renowned Sienese architect Francesco di Giorgio Martini, who was also active in various locations in the Marche region and engaged in the construction of the new wing of the Ducal Palace in Urbino, designed this architectural gem.

With the arrival of the Papal governors, the palace underwent significant transformations. In 1611, a new chapel was built in the middle loggia, later relocated in 1824 to a space created by partitioning the Sala d'Armi. After 1860, when Jesi and the Marche region were annexed to the new Kingdom of Italy, the building became the seat of the Pretura, the notarial archive, and the district prisons. In 1913, the ground floor housed Italy’s first automatic telephone exchange. Declared a monument of national interest in the late 1920s, the palace was restored between 1930 and 1939. Subsequently, it became the home of the Biblioteca Comunale, significantly enriched at the beginning of the 20th century by the donation from the Pianetti family, leading to its renaming as the Biblioteca Comunale Planettiana.

The Architecture of Palazzo della Signoria

Constructed between 1486 and 1498 by the celebrated architect Francesco di Giorgio Martini, the Palazzo della Signoria is a fine example of Renaissance architecture, reflecting the stylistic preferences of Laurana. The building is a solid, clean-cut parallelepiped that embodies the volumetric trends of the period with remarkable nobility. It comprises three brick facades, one of which is the main facade, and rises over two floors separated by cornices. The beautiful cross-shaped windows, adorned with finely carved stone frames, add to its elegance. A cornice with blind arches crowns the roofline, and heraldic shields with small lion heads and cornucopias adorn the building's four corners. All the architectural decorations were executed by Michele di Giovanni da Milano and his son Alvise, based on Martini’s designs.

The Facade

The elegant main facade features a double row of cross-shaped windows. At the ground level, a marble slab ordered by Pope Alexander VI displays the official measurements of the Respublica Aesina. The central element of the facade is the grand entrance portal, built in 1588 in a Doric-Rustic style. Above the entrance, a rectangular edicola decorated with putti, laurel festoons, and rich candelabra reliefs houses an altorilievo of a crowned rampant lion, the emblem of the city, sculpted in 1498 by Michele di Giovanni da Milano and his son Alvise. Below the edicola, an inscription in Latin reads, “AESIS REX DEDIT, FED IMP CORONAVIT, RES, P ALEX VI PONT INSTAURAVIT,” which translates to “King Esio granted it, Emperor Frederick II crowned it, the Republic, under Pope Alexander VI, established it.” The facade also features a plaque with the papal keys, added in 1500, and a clock made by Ansovino da Camerino, replacing the original lost during the tower’s collapse.

The Courtyard and Interiors

The interior of the Palazzo della Signoria centers around a rectangular courtyard with a ground-floor portico and two orders of loggias with 14 bays. Each floor uses different materials, creating a striking color effect. The building is constructed with light bricks, contrasting with the red brick square pillars of the ground-floor portico, topped with white stone capitals. The first loggia is made of Istrian stone, while the second, unfinished loggia features oak wood pillars. The entrance side and the symmetrical front side have three bays each, with wider central bays crowned by lowered arches, while the others have four bays each with round arches.

The second order (first loggia) is particularly refined, with slender Istrian stone columns with Corinthian capitals supporting the loggia’s cross vaults. Designed by Andrea Sansovino, who was called to Jesi in July 1519, the vaults and lunettes of the loggia were once entirely decorated with 16th-century frescoes, possibly by Pietro Paolo Agabiti, of which only a few remnants remain today. A well, crafted in stone by Giovanni di Gabriele da Como, is located at the courtyard's center. The courtyard is enclosed on three sides by the palace halls and opens directly onto the main facade on the western side.

Two Renaissance portals house staircases leading to the upper floors. The ground floor features an evocative room with wide brick vaults, initially the Sala d'Armi and later used as a salt warehouse. The first floor houses the ancient Sala del Consiglio, used by the Papal Governors from 1586 to 1808, with a beautiful wooden ceiling created by Pieramore di Bartolomeo Pierleoni between 1522 and 1525. The ceiling’s central coffer bears a carved shield with a lion, Jesi’s emblem. The room also contains the 18th-century wooden furniture from the ancient Pianetti library, finely painted and gilded.

The third floor hosts the ancient Sala dei Giudici, featuring two 17th-century globes by Venetian cartographer Vincenzo Maria Coronelli. Historical sources mention decorations and gilding in the Chancellery rooms by painter Pietro Paolo Agabiti, who also created many frescoes between 1522 and 1524, along with painter Andrea da Jesi.

The Clock Tower

In 1939, the clockmaker Edoardo Marconi from Montecarotto reconstructed the ancient clock mechanism initially built in 1723 by Venetian maker Antonius Molinarius. Marconi’s mechanism, measuring 133 cm wide, 80 cm deep, and 110 cm high, comprises three parallel trains: the central train for the clock hands, the right train for the hour chime, and the left train for the quarter-hour chime. The mechanism was dismantled, restored, made functional, and repositioned in its original location in 2006. Currently, it only operates the clock hands, with the chimes disabled. As of 2020, the external clock face does not yet display the time.

The Biblioteca Planettiana

Inside the Palazzo della Signoria, the Biblioteca Comunale Planettiana was founded in 1859, thanks to the donation of Marquis Angelo Ghislieri’s private library. It was later enriched by the Pianetti family’s valuable library and archival collection, making it one of the most important libraries in the region. With approximately 110,000 volumes, manuscripts, and incunabula from the 15th to the 19th century, the library’s notable works include an 1825 autograph letter by Giacomo Leopardi and a significant collection of writings by local musician Gaspare Spontini.