Palazzo Senatorio (Trapani)

Palazzo Senatorio
Palazzo Cavarretta
The façade of the palazzo
Interactive map of Palazzo Senatorio
General information
TypeCivic building
Architectural styleBaroque
LocationVia Torrearsa 1, Trapani, Sicily, Italy
Coordinates38°0′55.307″N 12°30′34.589″E / 38.01536306°N 12.50960806°E / 38.01536306; 12.50960806
Construction started1671
Completed1672
OwnerComune di Trapani

Palazzo Senatorio (also known as the Palazzo Cavarretta) is a historic baroque civic building in the centre of Trapani, Sicily. Standing on Via Torrearsa, it occupies the site of the former Loggia dei Pisani. Although the earliest structure dates to the 15th century, the building was extensively remodelled in the second half of the 17th century and served as the city’s senate and magistracy during the early modern period.[1]

The present three-tier Baroque façade was constructed between 1671 and 1672, financed by Don Giacomo Cavarretta, a local aristocrat. The lower two orders were designed by Pietro Castro, while the upper order was completed by Andrea Palma, who created the three niches housing statues of the Madonna of Trapani, Saint John the Baptist and Saint Albert, sculpted by Giuseppe Nolfo in 1701.[2]

Two caissons for the clock and the calendar were added to the top of the façade in 1828, giving the building its distinctive twin timepieces.[2] Today the palazzo houses the City Council and the offices supporting the Council presidency.[2]

References

  1. ^ Polizzi, Giuseppe (1879). I monumenti d'antichità e d'arte della provincia di Trapani (in Italian). Trapani: Tipografia Modica-Romano.
  2. ^ a b c "Palazzo Senatorio o Cavarretta" (in Italian). Comune di Trapani. Retrieved 3 December 2025.