BROLETTO 

Broletto

The Broletto, which connects Piazza Podestà to Via Veratti, was originally the residence of one of the most important noble families of Varese in the 14th-15th century, the Biumi family: in the 15th century even an emperor, Sigismund of Luxembourg, was hosted in this palace.

In 1590, on the initiative of Giovanni Pietro Biumi, the building was enlarged with the construction of the courtyard and the reconstruction of the facade, which is still preserved today. On the walls of the long sides of the courtyard, some frescoed roundels depicting illustrious men are still visible, even if faded, according to a decorative use typical of the period.

Palazzo Biumi lived its period of splendor until the eighteenth century when the extinction of the Biumi started it on a slow decline; the courtyard was also affected: in the 19th century the short side facing via Veratti was demolished.