The Palazzo Publico sits on the site of the old Domus Communis Magna, or Large Communal House (a common medieval household that puts the average shared student accommodation to shame), with best guestimates putting construction somewhere between 1380 and 1392.
The first stone of the public palazzo was laid in 1884 to specifications by architectural designer Francesco Azzurri and, in a gesture that reflected the republic's architectural and cultural orgins, the work was undertaken by local stonecutters using stones extracted from the nearby Mount Titano caves. On the occasion of its inauguration, the now renowned speech on 'perpetual liberty' was delivered by local citizen and early republican Giosuè Carducci.
The building is all richly carved stone, polygonal balconies, castellated battlements, and memento mories to the republic's saintly heroes, San Marino and San Leo. There are also a number of older art pieces that are worth a look: under the porch you'll find a marble bust of the architect Azzurri, sculpted by Giulio Tadolini; a great entrance hall with coats of arms and tombstones; a bust of Carducci; and a staircase that takes you up to the next floor where all gubernatorial needs are met by a 60-seat counsellor room, congress and hearing halls, and a voting room that looks out upon Pianello, or Piazza della Liberta Square.
Piazza della Liberta in turn overlooks a spectacular view of Montefeltro, the church of San Francesco, and La Rocca.
