Palazzo Gallo is an old noble residence in Osimo, built at the beginning of the seventeenth century for Cardinal Antonio Maria Gallo. The family, originally from Carpi, had settled in the town in the second half of the fifteenth century. Anton Maria, who as a young man had won the confidence of Cardinal Peretti, the future Pope Sixtus V, had a rapid career: bishop of Osimo from 1591, in the first years of the new century he decided to build himself a residence more sumptuous than the bishop's palace. He wanted it in a very central position and bought a large plot, occupied by the houses of two noble families and by the church of Santa Palazia, which was rebuilt further north. The cardinal died in 1620; the palace stayed with the family until 1888, when it was sold to the Cassa di Risparmio di Osimo.
What to see
The brick façade takes up the whole length of the square in front of it. It is set on three orders of large windows, separated by stone cornices, and opens with a monumental portal: two columns of white stone carry a balcony with a balustrade. Inside, the staircase that climbs to the main floor has allegorical statues of the four seasons.
The masterpiece is the ceiling of the ballroom, on the first floor above the portal. The hall is two storeys high, and its vault was entirely frescoed between 1605 and 1615 by Pomarancio, already active at the sanctuary of Loreto, with the Judgment of Solomon. Beside the central scene are Divine Wisdom and Grace; below, among the lunettes, Justice, Truth, Peace and Knowledge.
Visiting
The palace is today the premises of a bank: whether and when the hall can be seen should be checked beforehand, for example with the tourist office of Osimo. The façade can be seen from the square.
Our editors' tip
Like other palaces in Osimo, this one too has in its basements a maze of tunnels dug into the sandstone, on two levels. The network runs lengthwise under the square, towards the underground rooms of the church of San Gregorio, and it seems that it was once connected with the caves of nearby Palazzo Campana.
