Palazzo Pretorio in Sinalunga

Located in Piazza IV Novembre, inside the historic town center of Sinalunga, the Palazzo Pretorio is an important symbol of medieval power, which has always conveyed a sense of solemnity to residents and tourists.

Built between 1337 and 1346 and restored in the 15th and 17th centuries, it was built to be the seat of the court and the city prison. The building has also been the residence of the Secretary of the municipality and of the family of the Municipal Guard.

The facade and the tower are built with the typical Tuscan "cotto"; on the main facade and on the eastern side of the buiding there are various coats of arms, including those of Podestà from the period of the Republic of Siena and that of the Medici of Florence, which bears witness to the passage under the rule of Florence. On the right side of the main portal there stands a pillory in which the people sentenced by the Court were exposed.

The bell tower, very similar to the Torre del Mangia in Siena, has remained almost completely unchanged since its construction. It has displayed a clock face since the end of the 16th century.

The interior of the building houses an atrium decorated with the coats of arms of the Podestà, dating back to the end of the 16th century. In the atrium a staircase gives access to the three floors that form the building. In particular, on the first floor there are still the cells that housed inmates until 1925.

Its dungeons are also very suggestive, with ancient burrows dug into the tuff and an area used as a horse sheds and basements.