Date

Circa 1910

In 1531-1532 the main entrance to the Palazzo del Capitanio, the seat of the Venetian governor on the Piazza dei Signori, Padua, was rebuilt to a design by Falconetto. It is an enlarged version of the central bay of the Loggia Cornaro, with the addition of paired Tuscan semi-columns. Instead of an antique frieze the architrave bears the inscription of the Doge of Venice, Andrea Gritti, and also the insignia of the two administrators Badoer and Moro, who represented Venice in Padua from 1531 to 1532. The entrance is thus a visible sign of Venetian sovereignty next door to the Loggia del Consiglio, in which the local Paduan assembly met. The portal recalls the form of the triumphal arch, while particular motifs, for example the double columns, allude to such Classical buildings as the Arch of the Sergius family at Pula.