Palazzo della Signoria
Noble and civic architecture that has shaped the centuries and still
preserves the heritage and elegance of Jesi today
The Palazzo della Signoria was built in Renaissance style between 1486 and 1498 to a design by the famous architect Francesco di Giorgio Martini, following the Laurana style.
The building rests on the north-east side on the foundations of the ancient Roman theatre and, to a large extent, on those of the medieval Palazzo dei Priori.
It was the original seat of the Magistratura Cittadina.
In 1586 it was relinquished to the Papal Magistrate and from then on became the Governor’s Palace until the Unification of Italy.
It appears as a parallelepiped with a solid, clean-cut mass that reflects the volumetric trends of the period with admirable nobility.
It consists of three brick facades, the main one rises two levels divided by architraves-marble cornices with a double row of beautiful “Guelph-style” cross windows with finely sculpted stone cornices; a crowning cornice with blind arches completes the attic.
On the four corners of the building are protruding heraldic shields with small lion heads and cornucopias.
All the architectural decorations that complete the facades were executed by Michele di Giovanni da Milano and his son Alvise to a design by Martini.
On the left front, overlooking Via Pergolesi, once called Orefici (jewellers), there are three doors, the central one of which, known as the “Salara”, has a very elegant Renaissance portal with a lowered arch, also designed by Martini but made by Giovanni di Gabriele da Como.
In 1551, the palace was completed with a soaring tower with three crenellated orders and a final dome (as depicted in paintings and prints of the time) designed by architect Andrea Sansovino, which collapsed in an earthquake in 1657.
Rebuilt in 1661, it was never completed due to lack of funds.
Inside, the building houses the Planettiana municipal library: founded in 1859 thanks to the donation made by Marquis Angelo Ghislieri of his selected book collection, it takes its name from the precious book and archive collection donated by the Pianetti family to the municipality in the early 20th century.
Today, with its approximately 170,000 printed volumes, manuscripts, incunabula, prints, drawings and photographs, it is one of the most important libraries in the Region.
useful infomation
OPENING HOURS
Monday: 9:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
Tuesday to Friday: 9:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. / 3:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.
Saturday: 9:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
Closed on Sundays and public holidays.
Closed: 22 September (Patron Saint’s Day)
Special opening hours (9:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.): 24 December and 31 December, when these dates fall on a weekday.
ADMISSION FEES
Full price: €5
Reduced price: €3 (children and young people aged 6–25)
Free admission: children aged 0–5, AIB members (upon presentation of a valid membership card), visitors with disabilities and their companions, licensed tour guides, and accredited journalists upon presentation of a valid press card.
Guided tours (Ancient Collections Rooms): Thursdays at 11:00 a.m. and 12:00 noon. Other morning and afternoon visits are available upon request by telephone.
MJ MUSEUM NETWORK COMBINED TICKET
A single ticket grants admission to 9 museums:
- Civic Museums of Palazzo Pianetti
- Museum of Printing Arts
- Colocci-Vespucci House Museum
- Ancient Collections Rooms of Palazzo della Signoria
- Federico II Stupor Mundi Museum
- Diocesan Museum
- Museum Rooms of Palazzo Bisaccioni
- Pergolesi and Spontini Rooms at the G.B. Pergolesi Theatre
- Landscape Interpretation Centre and IME Experience Route
Full price: €15
Reduced price: €10 (children and young people aged 6–25, groups of at least 15 people, and residents of the Municipality of Jesi)
Family ticket: €30
Free admission: children aged 0–5, visitors with disabilities and their companions, licensed tour guides, and accredited journalists upon presentation of a valid press card.
Points of sale: Civic Museums of Palazzo Pianetti and the Federico II Stupor Mundi Museum.
Contatti
PALAZZO DELLA SIGNORIA E BIBLIOTECA PLANETTIANA
Palazzo della Signoria – Piazza Colocci, 2 – 60035 Jesi (AN)
0731 538387
planettiana@comune.jesi.an.it
www.bibliotecaplanettiana.it
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