Broletto

Broletto stands beside Como Cathedral as a rectangular medieval civic building with Romanesque-Gothic forms. Its façades alternate white, grey, and red Lombard marble beneath a massive stone tower.

Built in 1215 by the podestà Bonardo da Codazzo, the building served Como’s government, courts, archives, and assemblies. A bell once summoned citizens to public meetings from the tower. As the cathedral developed, parts of the southern structure disappeared, while the adjoining Pretorio gradually vanished behind later construction. Renaissance details joined the medieval fabric, and traces of frescoes with family coats of arms remain inside.

After its civic role ended, the hall became a theatre, then a notarial archive. It now hosts congresses, art exhibitions, and civic ceremonies. Look beneath the portico for pillar bases standing below the present square, marking its earlier ground level.