Palazzo del Governatore (14th century)

This palace, which belonged to the Comune, housed a succession of would-be Lords of Assisi: Cecchino Broglia di Trino in 1398-9; Guidantonio di Montefeltro in 1408-19; and Nicolò Fortebraccio in 1435.

From 1555 until 1816, this was the residence of the papal governors of Assisi.

Volta Pinta

[Photo courtesy of Trattoria Pallotta]

The ground floor is pierced by what was originally a thoroughfare that led to the city brothels.  A back wall was built in 1453 for decency, forming an enclosed vaulted space.

The papal governor Marcello Tuti commissioned frescoes (1556) for its walls and vaults, probably  from Raffaellino del Colle.  Al of the allegorical scenes include his own arms, and those of Pope Paul IV appear [at the centre]. 

These so-called “grottesche” are in the style of Raphael’s decoration of the loggia of the Vatican.  These in turn were inspired by the frescoes of the Emperor Nero’s so-called Domus Aurea, which had been rediscovered in Rome in the late 15th century. 

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