The Palazzo del Broletto was originally the government seat for the city. A noble residence during the rule of the Torriane and Visconti families, who gave it the shape still seen in part today. It was partially demolished to make way for the Cathedral nave; Francesco Sforza refurbished the building after 1452. The seat of power by the Spanish rulers, it underwent substantial modifications until the late 18th Century, particularly the work by Giuseppe Piermarini. On the first floor of the Palazzo, there is the famous ’Sala delle Cariatidi’ in the ancient theatre that was destroyed by fire in 1776.
