File:Palazzo della Raggione, Bergamo Alta (31809879592).jpg

Over its long existence, the Palace has been damaged and rebuilt several times: it was also used for many different purposes, also becoming a theatre and a library. Today, after 800 years, with its beautiful architecture style the Palace represents all the art and the history of Bergamo, also hosting numerous art exhibitions. The Palazzo della Ragione was one of the first Italian “Commune Halls” and was built almost one thousand years ago to host the city public meetings. However, the current appellation dates back to the Venetian domination, when the palace was used as a courthouse. Here the judges used to listen to legal arguments between the citizens and they used to take a decisions based on their “reason”, in Italian “ragione”. It was a really elegant courthouse, indeed, as proved by the frescos inside! There are further surprises outside the building, more precisely under the loggia, where you will find the gnomon. This sundial was made more than 200 years ago, in 1798: when a ray of light hits the sun clock carved in the marble floor, it still marks the date and the local Noon with extreme precision.