The Italian: Palazzo Pubblico (‘Public Palace’) is the town hall of the City of San Marino as well as its official Government Building. The building, where official State ceremonies take place, is the seat of the Republic's main institutional and administrative bodies: the Captains Regent, the Grand and General Council, the Council of XII, and the Congress of State.[1] [2]
The main section of the building is topped by battlements over a series of corbels. The clock tower above also features such an arrangement with battlements and corbels. The overall design is similar to the Palazzo Vecchio in Florence, but on a much smaller scale.[3]
Located on the site of an ancient building called the Domus Magna Comunis, the current building was designed by the Roman architect Francesco Azzurri and was built between 1884 and 1894. Following a century of minimal alteration, concerns over the structure's safety and functionality warranted a complex restoration project. The intervention was completed by the internationally renowned architect Gae Aulenti and an inauguration ceremony for the newly restored building was held on 30 September 1996.[4]