Il Palazzo dei Panni

About

The historical Palazzo Panni, built in the late XVII century and situated at the beginning of Via Segantini, was once property of the noble Arco family, as the coat of arms on the main entrance testifies. It was built by Giovambattista d’Arco, afterwards occupied by Count Emanuele d’Arco, man of culture and fine musician.At the end of the eighteenth century a wool mill was placed in the Palace, from which it took the name Wool Cloth Palace (Palazzo Panni). About 400 people worked there.In the nineteenth century it was used for different activities: as a theatre, a fire station and kindergarten.In the early nineteenth century it was purchased by the Istituto della Providenza and became a boarding school. During the fascist period it was transformed in Palazzo del Littorio (the “littorio” being the fascists' symbol).Successively it was used as a School and from the nineties, after the recent restoration, it lodges the Councillor’s Office of Culture, the Public Library, The Fondo Antico Bruno Emmert and the Municipal Art Gallery G. Segantini.