Building of the Priors — Hall of Notaries
The Building of the Priors (Palazzo dei Priori) is the principal civic palace of Perugia, constructed between 1293 and the mid-fifteenth century on the Corso Vannucci overlooking the Piazza IV Novembre. One of the most significant examples of Italian Gothic civic architecture, it served as the seat of the city’s governing magistrates — the Priors — and houses within it the Sala dei Notari (Hall of Notaries), a grand vaulted hall frescoed in the late thirteenth century, as well as the Galleria Nazionale dell’Umbria, the principal art museum of the region.
At a glance
- Type
- Medieval civic palace; houses the Galleria Nazionale dell’Umbria and Sala dei Notari
- Period
- 1293–c. 1443 (main construction phases)
- Style
- Italian Gothic
- Location
- Corso Vannucci 19, Perugia, Umbria, Italy
- Coordinates
- 43.1117° N, 12.3885° E
Overview
The Palazzo dei Priori dominates the western flank of Perugia’s main civic square, its austere Gothic facade of pink and white stone punctuated by elegant two-light windows and a grand external staircase leading to the notaries’ hall. Today the building performs three distinct public functions: the ground floor Sala dei Notari operates as an exhibition and civic events space, the upper floors house the Galleria Nazionale dell’Umbria with its outstanding collection of Umbrian and central Italian paintings from the 13th to the 19th centuries, and other sections serve the municipal administration. The palace is consistently cited as one of the finest surviving Gothic civic buildings in central Italy.
History
Construction began in 1293 when the commune of Perugia, at the height of its power as a free city-state, commissioned a new seat for its priorate government. The building was expanded westward along the Corso Vannucci in a series of phases through the fourteenth and early fifteenth centuries, each addition maintaining the Gothic aesthetic of the original structure. The Sala dei Notari, the oldest section, was frescoed between 1297 and 1298 with scenes from Aesop’s fables and Roman myths attributed to local masters, establishing the palace as a showcase of communal cultural ambition. Perugia’s eventual subjugation to the Papal States in 1540 ended the building’s function as a seat of independent civic government, but it continued to serve administrative and cultural purposes.
What you see
The Sala dei Notari on the ground floor is a dramatic vaulted hall divided by wide arches and covered with late thirteenth-century frescoes depicting fables, heraldic symbols, and narrative scenes — among the earliest surviving civic fresco cycles in central Italy. The exterior features the famous griffin and lion sculptures, symbols of Perugia and the Guelf alliance, flanking the doorway to the notaries’ hall. Above, the Galleria Nazionale dell’Umbria displays masterworks by Perugino, Pinturicchio, Duccio, Fra Angelico, Piero della Francesca, and other painters who defined the Umbrian school, spread across twenty-one rooms on the piano nobile and upper floors.
Cultural significance
The Palazzo dei Priori is a monument to medieval communal democracy in central Italy, its scale and ambition expressing the civic confidence of a prosperous free city-state at the turn of the fourteenth century. The Galleria Nazionale dell’Umbria within it constitutes the most comprehensive public collection of Umbrian painting, providing an irreplaceable visual record of one of Italy’s most distinctive regional artistic traditions.
Practical information
- Address
- Corso Vannucci 19, 06121 Perugia PG, Italy
- Sala dei Notari
- Open daily; free admission; hours vary — check the Comune di Perugia website
- Galleria Nazionale dell’Umbria
- Tuesday–Sunday approximately 08:30–19:30; admission fee applies
- Official website
- gallerianazionaledellumbria.it
Getting there
Perugia is served by the Minimetrò funicular railway connecting Pian di Massiano park-and-ride to Piazza Italia, a short walk from the Palazzo dei Priori. From Perugia’s main railway station (Fontivegge), take bus lines or the Minimetrò to the historic centre. By car, the historic centre is a Limited Traffic Zone; use the park-and-ride facilities at Pian di Massiano or Piazza Partigiani and take the escalators or Minimetrò uphill. Rome is approximately 170 km south via the E45.