Palazzo Martinengo e Percorso Archeologico Sotterraneo
Martinengo Palace is located in Piazza del Foro, south of Capitolium. It has always been the main residence of Martinengo family, and today is the site of exhibitions and underground Archaeological Route. The facade on Via Musei was built between 1680 and 1690. It opens up to a large portal, attributable to Stefano Carra and Carlo Carra, characterized by two majestic eagles, symbol of Martinengo family, placed above the two columns that support the main balcony , in Botticino marble. Entering the portal and passing through a frescoed barrel vault you arrive at small internal courtyard, where there is a sixteenth-century fountain with a statue of Neptune and an eighteenth-century statue depicting Cesare Martinengo. Inside you can admire private chapel of the bishop of Famagusta, Mattia Ugoni. The other facade, visible from Piazza del Foro, is characterized by a more anonymous and austere sixteenth-century style. In the eastern part of the loggia there is the great seventeenth-century staircase that leads to the upper floor, consisting of seven rooms, including one in Neoclassical style that was a meeting place between the then owner of the palace, Marzia Martinengo, and the poet Ugo Foscolo. In 1998, archaeological excavations were opened in the basement of the building, offering a complete picture of the city's history, from Prehistory to the present day. The excavations are accompanied by an exhibition hall with documents and findings that emerged during the works, flanked by spaces reserved for periodic art exhibitions.
