Historic buildings are undeniably the monumental and architectural heritage, as well as the cultural and artistic heritage of a community. In Catanzaro many

Palace 

ALEMANNI-GALLELLI     
Via G. Sensales, 22
Designed by Neapolitan architects at the behest of the Alemanni family, Marquises of Pianopoli and Barons of Tiriolo, it was built in two phases: at the end of the 18th century with the main part and the addition of three horse-shoe shaped wings and the large hall towards the first half of the 19th century. On the doorway is the Alemanni coat of arms. The palace has three floors, with a square plan, central courtyard and a double flight of stairs, while the roof is made of wooden beams and the walls are composed of bricks and tuff. There are numerous exterior decorations with a base, flattened ashlar around the portal, typical of southern 18th-century architecture. Inside, large halls overlook the courtyard, with window frames, stuccoes on the stairs and ashlar on the stair front. In the basement there is a stable below street level, which has not been in use for some time. The palace suffered damage during the bombings of 1943, and was later subjected to restoration work by the Gallelli barons. The palace is now in excellent condition and until recently housed the presidency of the Regional Council.

Palazzo ANANIA                          
Via V. De Grazia, 51
Once owned by the noble Anania family, originally from Taverna, it stands near the ancient Cocole district, precisely on the old Via dei Coppolari (today's Via De Grazia) and dates back to 1622. The entrance door bears the family crest, characterized by a seraph's head and the blazon "BALDASAR ANANIA anno MDCXXII," indicating the name of Baldassarre Anania, the patron of the palace. Damaged by the earthquake of March 24, 1744, it subsequently underwent renovations that gave the palace a new configuration. Externally, due to historical events, it has an eighteenth-century appearance, while inside the palace features Baroque and seventeenth-century elements, visible from the inner courtyard and the staircase loggia. At one time, a cistern, no longer existing, characterized the water supply system common to many noble buildings of the time. After entering, on the right, a small door can be glimpsed, a secondary entrance to the church of Sant’Anna, located next door, created for safety reasons.

COURTHOUSE 

Via Falcone e Borsellino  
The building, seat of the Court of Appeal, is named after Judge Salvatore Blasco, a high magistrate, promoter of culture and sport, who achieved his most significant milestones as president of the Court and the Court of Appeal. Work began in the first half of the twentieth century, when it became clear that the old offices, located in the suppressed Convent of the Dominican Fathers next to the Church of the Most Holy Rosary, were inadequate. The inauguration of the building dates back to 1930 and it features Umbertine-style architecture. In 1952, new work was carried out to add another floor. The wide internal staircase houses the bronze group “Justice and Freedom” by Giuseppe Rito.

CONVITTO GALLUPPI        
Corso Mazzini
The history of this boarding school, once a convent and church of the Jesuits, begins in 1560. In the early 1600s, the structure hosted the Royal National Boarding School Pasquale Galluppi and, in 1861, it was dedicated to the philosopher from Tropea. It thus became a vibrant center of intellectual and patriotic life, passing from the Napoleonic period to the Gentile reform of 1923 which abolished the university schools of Catanzaro, as they were incompatible with the new regulations, while in 1975 the high school moved to another location. Once, the church was part of the structure with an exit onto the street, while today it has a small chapel on the lower floor with two frescoes by the painter Tony Pileggi. Inside, various marble plaques commemorate illustrious students and teachers. In fact, Convitto Galluppi has educated generations of young people from Catanzaro, among whom we remember figures such as: Corrado Alvaro, Filippo De Nobili, Luigi Settembrini, Giovanni Le Pera, Augusto Placanica, Gianni Amelio, and many others. Today it houses lower secondary schools.

Palazzo DE RISO                       

Via Francesco De Seta    
It dates back to the 17th century and features unique compositional characteristics compared to the other buildings overlooking Via Francesco de Seta, from which it differs in its type and decorative and stylistic elements. Located at the corner between Via F. De Seta and Vico I Bellavista, it is characterized by a "C"-shaped layout, at the center of which is a small courtyard, preceded by an entrance hall covered with barrel vaults, followed by the large staircase, where the coat of arms of the De Riso marquises stands out along with other trompe l’oeil painted decorations.

DORIA Palace

Discesa Cavour    
The Doria family has Genoese origins and the first representatives were skilled navigators, merchants, and shipbuilders. Some descendants moved to Catanzaro, attracted by the production and trade of silk. It stands near the ancient Giudecca, built in the 19th century, is of considerable size and has balconies with wrought iron railings. It was affected by the redevelopment works of the historic center, which began in 1870. In particular, the lowering of the road level in some points adjacent to the building and the raising in others, caused a depression of the entrances compared to the same road axis. The main façade faces the Politeama Theater. 

Palace

DE NOBILI/MUNICIPALITY     

Via G. Jannoni, 68
Built in 1784 in the S. Chiara district at the behest of the nobles Emanuele De Nobili and Olimpia Schipani, it is similar to their summer residence in the locality "La Petrizia" of Sellia M. It overlooks Via Jannoni and Villa Margherita with an exit at the back. A distinctive feature is the central courtyard followed by the large staircase. In 1806, the King of Naples, Joseph Bonaparte, was welcomed here. The last heirs sold it through a regular sale to the Municipality of Catanzaro in 1863. In 1912, a major renovation was undertaken, in alternating phases, until after the Second World War it assumed its current neo-Renaissance configuration, in line with the 19th-century style that characterizes other buildings in the city. The city council chamber is characterized by the presence of a large fresco, entitled "The Exaltation of the History of the City of Catanzaro in Its Various Aspects," created in 1961 by Tarcisio Bedini based on a drawing by Ugo Ortona. The reception hall features fine stuccoes, an antique piano, and oil portraits of the mayors.

Palazzo DI TOCCO                     

Via XX Settembre, 110     
It dates back to the 19th century and underwent a new renovation in recent years. Owned by the Marincola family, then sold to the Alemanni and finally to the Di Tocco family. Despite the considerable difference in height between the two facades, it maintains a harmonious architectural balance. It is characterized by a portal with a clear late Renaissance style, as an architectural solution for the corner facade. The latter, made in simple faux ashlar, gives the structure grandeur and austerity. The varied design that composes it highlights the beautiful pilasters. The cornice, which encloses the jambs and the architrave, features an apotropaic mask depicting the head of a lion. This is in turn surmounted by a pediment with a sunken arched front, enriched by two garlands supporting a shield with a lioness's head.
 

EX STAC

P.zza G. Matteotti
Ancient tram station from 1901, built by the Società Anonima Tramvia Automoto funicolare di Catanzaro, inaugurated in 1910. It initially connected the outlying Sala railway station with Piazza Indipendenza. The funicular section was built to overcome the difference in height between the station, located in the valley of the Fiumarella stream, and the city center on a hill. In 1914, it was extended to the Pontegrande district, in the northern urban outskirts. The company was definitively closed in 1954, both due to competition from road transport and because of an accident on the funicular section. The latter was rebuilt and reactivated only in part and as a simple funicular in 1998. Today, in place of the tram station in Piazza Matteotti, there is an exhibition hall.

FAZZARI Palace                  

Corso G. Mazzini, 178  
19th-century palace, designed by Arch. Federico Andreotti. Its history is linked to the developments that, starting from the second half of the nineteenth century, affected the city's historic center. In fact, it was transformed by the municipal master plan approved in 1870 for the opening of a main road axis on C.so Vittorio Emanuele (now C.so Mazzini), through the demolition, construction, or setback of the facades of some buildings. Work on the construction of the palace, located in the ancient Jewish quarter of the Giudecca, began in 1870 and was completed in 1874. The building represents a unique example in the city's architectural landscape, as it eclectically combines characteristic elements of local culture with Florentine elements, also drawing some features from sixteenth-century Calabrian palaces. Inside, the large staircase is decorated in faux marble stucco and the rooms with period nineteenth-century Art Nouveau furnishings, with a fresco by Alfonso Frangipane (Catanzaro, 11/07/1881 - Reggio C. 21/01/1970). Since 1893, the palace has housed on the ground floor the historic Leone pharmacy, which is one of the oldest in the city, with carved wooden furnishings and wall paintings.

FERRARI-DE RISO Palace 

Via V. De Grazia, 56  
Located in front of the church of S. Omobono, it dates back to the late 1500s, built by the Ferrari family. In 1840 it passed to the ancient and noble De Riso family. From an architectural point of view, it features a C-shaped layout, with an internal atrium accessed through a finely crafted portal, much wider than others, characterized by alternating mirrored ashlars and diamond-pointed ashlars with particular "scroll" decorations that, in their formal characteristics, represent prominent elements for the city. The upper floors are reached via an internal staircase, consisting of five flights of stairs. Noteworthy is the basin vault on the first landing, a Renaissance-style rose window, and some wrought iron decorations. In the 19th century, for inheritance reasons, part of the palace was divided into various housing units with access ensured by the construction of a balcony, located on the west side of the courtyard, made of cast iron and coming from the Neapolitan ironworks.

Palace 

GRIMALDI MONTUORO
CHAMBER OF COMMERCE 

Corso Mazzini  
Property of G. Grimaldi until 1851, when the last owner sold a part to P. Montuori. In 1871, after the facade was cut to allow the extension of Corso Mazzini, it was put up for sale by the respective families and purchased by the Chamber of Commerce. With a new appearance of the facade and interior spaces, it recalls the nineteenth-century tradition that characterizes the buildings of the era, integrated with typical elements of Florentine and Roman Renaissance architecture that identify the entire building.

Palace of FINANCE    

Corso G. Mazzini  
Built in 1910, it stands on Corso Mazzini in place of the former Teatini - Liguorini convent, in Piazza S. Caterina, and until the early 1900s, the homonymous church was also present. It is developed on four sides and is characterized by a large internal courtyard adorned with marble staircases. The façade recalls the Florentine style of the 1400s. Next to the site of the suppressed church, today stand the offices of the Police Headquarters.

MANCUSI Palace                
Via G. Sensales
Dating back to the 16th century and built on the remains of a 12th-century convent along Via G. Sensales, formerly known as dei Casali. It still belongs today to the noble family of Cicala of the same name. Part of the building, previously owned by the Pascali family, was purchased in 1900 by Benedetto Mancusi, Grand Officer and Knight Grand Cross of the Crown of Italy. The exterior features thick walls and chestnut wood ceilings, and the balconies, both on the mezzanine and the main floor, have iron and cast iron railings. The rusticated portal in the cornice dates back to the 15th century, above which the family crest stands out. An area on the ground floor contains the remains of a 13th-century convent. Inside, you can notice the particularly low ceilings of the rooms and the considerable thickness of the walls, and on the walls of the main floor are frescoes by A. Frangipane.

MENICHINI Palace                 

via G. Raffaelli   
The palace is among the most important civil architectures in the city because its features bring it close to more well-known examples of 15th-16th century palaces found in Naples, but also in the rest of Italy. Of great importance is the Doric portal, which recalls the much more famous example by Vignola built for the Palazzo Farnese in Caprarola; also noteworthy is the only loggia with cantilevered brackets typical of the period and the “civato” technique used to reinforce the exposed stone masonry of the main façade.

ITIS ERCOLINO SCALFARO  
P.zza G. Matteotti    
The work for the construction of the school building, intended to house the then "Ancient School of Arts and Crafts," began in 1905 and ended in 1912, interrupted by two earthquakes in 1905 and 1908. The most distinctive feature is the facade, in a triumphant eclectic style, embellished with some bas-reliefs of symbolic figures, such as the worker bee, and others representing technical professions. Inaugurated in 1912, in 1929 it was named in memory of the lieutenant from Catanzaro, Ercolino Scalfaro, who heroically fell in the First World War. In 1948, an additional floor was added with the construction of a large staircase with great architectural impact, which completes the spacious atrium and leads to the upper floors.

Palazzo 

PECORINI-MANZONI   
Via Montecorvino
It stands in the ancient parish district of Montecorvino and is part of an architectural complex dating back to the late 18th century. Its origin is uncertain; the most accredited hypothesis is that it belonged to the Marincola family, when Count Carlo Pecorini Manzoni married Nicolina Marincola with a new definition. The structure displays visible features typical of Neapolitan villas and palaces, particularly characterized by numerous stylistic elements common to the works of architect Giovan Battista Vinci, especially in the portal.

PREFECTURE Palace         

P.zza Rossi 
It consists of two buildings: the Government Palace, formerly belonging to the Morano family (located in front of the Basilica of the Immaculate), and the old Art Nouveau building of the Provincial Administration. The latter was built on the site of the ancient Larussa Palace in the 1920s. Here the Province kept its offices until the 1960s, when it moved to the new Glass Palace designed by the Catanzaro architect Saul Greco. From that moment it became the seat of the Prefecture. Its massive and imposing façade rises on the main street of the city and is characterized, at the base, by rustication with large blocks of squared artificial stone. Mascarons, garlands, balustraded balconies, friezes, and windows with rich cornices make up its rich decorative heritage.

RAFFAELLI Palace                
Vicolo IV Raffaelli  
It dates back to 1600, with the vaulted ceilings of the past and stone walls. A renovation in 1799 allowed for the creation of new spaces, restoring the harmony and beauty of an entrance hall with an internal staircase to the upper floor. At the entrance are the initials of Giuseppe Raffaelli, after whom the street is named. He is credited with having defended in the court of the Kingdom of Naples Cecilia Faragò, the last witch, with such a convincing plea that King Ferdinand IV decided to abolish the crime of magic and the sentence for women of that period considered to be witches. He published under the title "Nomotesia" penale, the result of his long career first as a lawyer and then as a jurist, the summa of legal science, useful to governments on how to make good laws, particularly regarding crimes and their respective punishments.

Palazzo RICCA                           

Largo Pianicello, 18 
Among the most important examples of sixteenth-century architecture in Catanzaro, once owned by the Ricca family, originally from Naples and of ancient lineage, the Pianicello. Its exterior is characterized by the presence of two twin portals in calcarenite that belong to the Calabrian architectural-decorative tradition, characterized by the classic diamond-pointed ashlars alternating with rusticated ashlars, the keystone consisting of the classic volute with a phytomorphic scroll motif and the two decorated plinths at the base, as well as aging effects. It stands out for its size and for the two twin portals.

RUGGERO-RAFFAELI Palace    
C.so Mazzini  
Built from the renovation of a former convent of the Minims Fathers, it preserves part of the cloister inside. It was later sold to private individuals who transformed it into a residential building. In 1881, the part facing Corso Mazzini, called “Casa Ruggero,” underwent some renovation work with the cutting of the entire façade. During these works, structures of the ancient convent cloister with barrel and cross vaults and a cistern were brought to light, which are now partly visible inside a basement room. The palace has peculiarities that make it unique: the façade on C.so Mazzini has a nineteenth-century style, while the one on Via De Seta has a late Baroque style, with decorative elements, naturally made with the latest renovations, and on the wall and below, in front of the balcony, a Latin inscription with a very particular meaning. Next to the palace is the church of S. F.sco di Paola, built between 1577 and 1581.

ROCCA-GRIMALDI Palace    
P.zza del Rosario, 1
Built between the 18th and 19th centuries, it stands in Piazza del SS. Rosario. The two floors that make it up reveal a compositional design that favors a taste for sophistication in the decoration found on the entire façade and on the balconies, which are arranged in a constant pattern. It has an elegant 19th-century courtyard closed off by the double-flight grand staircase, and at the top of the ceiling, the family crest. It will become the residence of Bernardino Grimaldi.

SALSANO Palace                    

Via Eroi, 23
Its origins seem to date back to the 17th century. Once owned by Vittorio Larussa, it was sold by him to the Grimaldi family and from them, in turn, to the Salsano family. The palace underwent major renovation work both due to the earthquake of 1783 and to some events in 1799, during which it was partly destroyed and set on fire in 1799 due to political rivalries. After being restored in 1806, the palace hosted King Joseph Bonaparte, who arrived in Catanzaro with a large entourage of cavalry and infantry. The three-story palace has an imposing architectural layout, with a beautiful street-facing façade and balconies with tuff stone corbels and wrought iron railings, and the portal is made of locally crafted stone. Inside, it has a large atrium, where the family coat of arms is imprinted on the ceiling.

Palazzo VERCILLO                 
Corso Mazzini    
Characteristic and imposing building from the late 19th century, formerly the Bruzia Hotel, on Corso Mazzini, owned by Domenico Marincola Pistoia, but sold to Domenico Vercillo in 1836, who was married to Rachele Marincola Pistoia. Today it retains its elegance and at the top of the façade is the family crest, which belongs to a very ancient lineage, called Vercillo or Vircillo, of Calabrian origin, but which is said to have its roots in Roman times. The name was originally Virgili, later changed to Vercillo. The first documented records of the descendants date back to the early 1500s in Rende, in the province of Cosenza.

VILLA BISANTIS-BISOGNI 
Via Crispi
The historic villa, built in 1920 by commission of the Marquis Bisogni of Briatico with typical Mediterranean architecture, is an example of eclecticism as it also incorporates other styles such as cathedral glass typical of Art Nouveau, Renaissance friezes, Gothic elements visible in the side arches, Ionic columns, and a flourishing Italian-style garden, equipped and planted. It is a property of historical and architectural value with three entrances, 21 rooms divided over three levels connected by a large open marble staircase, panoramic terrace, characteristic habitable turret with battlements, and an annex.
 

GIRONDA VERALDI Palace
Via S. Maria di Mezzogiorno  
Noble family of German origin, they moved to Catanzaro from nearby Squillace. This palace is located in the S. Maria di Mezzogiorno district, on the road that leads from Pianicello to the Stella district. It is accessed through a narrow alley that leads into a vestibule with a cross vault, on the sides of which were the stables, through which you reach the stairs. Its peculiarity, although it has interesting external decorative elements (green marble corbels from Gimigliano, cast iron railings), lies in the internal richness of the entrance hall where the nineteenth-century central staircase with a square plan is located. The rear garden is also interesting, where a romantic scene of two lovers on majolica tiles is preserved inside a niche.

VILLA BLY
Pontegrande District 
Built in the early years of the twentieth century, it is located at the entrance to the Pontegrande district, in the northern part of the city. For its construction, numerous materials from Naples, the hometown of the first owner, were used. Originally, it was surrounded by farmland and olive groves and by a large park. It is a remarkable example of Art Nouveau architecture and, above all, an important testament to the heritage that Art Nouveau has left to the capital of Calabria. During the Fascist period, it was used by the Regime as a representative office and during the war the Germans made it the headquarters of their military command. The Allies, from 9/10/1943, the day of their arrival in Catanzaro, did the same.