Martinengo

PALAZZO DEL COMUNE
Piazza Maggiore 1 – 24057 Martinengo (BG)

Formerly known as the Broletto, the Palazzo Comunale has been modified over the centuries. It was built at the beginning of the 12th century, coinciding with the establishment of the Free Municipality. It consisted of a porticoed space on the ground floor, possibly used for commercial purposes, and an upper level with a single room.
In the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, the porticos on the ground floor were walled up to create several more enclosed rooms. The upper hall has also been renovated and divided into smaller rooms.
Traces of frescoes from different periods are still visible on the façade. The best preserved depicts a red eagle on a golden field, the coat of arms of the Ghisalbertini counts. It probably dates back to the 15th century.
Two other coats of arms are visible, belonging to Tommaso de’ Cumis, twice Podestà from 1465 to 1475. Amongst these fragments is a third curious fragment from the 16th century: two small, fluttering cherubs crown the Lion of San Marco. Venice’s homage to itself.
On the opposite side, a figure of a man-at-arms, perhaps a tribute to the local military aristocracy.
In more recent times, a marble plaque commemorates the contribution of the people of Martinengo who joined Garibaldi in the Expedition of the Thousand.
 
TORRE DELL’OROLOGIO
via G. Tadino, 7 – 24057 Martinengo (BG)

The tower, of medieval origin – probably originating as a municipal bell tower, a frequent feature of a broletto – was rebuilt in the 17th century, when the clock was installed. It features two dials, one with Roman numerals and the other with Arabic numerals, each with a single hand. Why? Unlike today’s clocks, which calculate the exact hour and minutes, Martinengo’s clock served (and still serves) to calculate Italic time, being the time between sunrise and sunset. Thus, the 24 hours shown on the dial does not indicate midnight but the hour of sunset, which naturally varies according to the seasons. Precisely because of the variation in the time of twilight, the bell-ringer, paid by both the municipality and the parish, had to adjust the hand every other day, based on the time marked more precisely by the sundial in the Broletto courtyard.