Palazzo Peloso Cepolla, Renaissance palace in Historic Centre of Albenga, Italy.

Palazzo Peloso Cepolla is a palace in the historic center of Albenga with a striking facade that incorporates a thirteenth-century tower. This tower features a dark stone base and a red brick upper section, making the building immediately recognizable as you walk through the square.

The tower dates to the medieval period and was reshaped in the sixteenth century by the Cepolla family. This renovation modified the tower top with decorative elements and upgraded the entire residential complex to match the tastes of this influential family.

The Cepolla family, recorded in Albenga from 1222, split in the later 13th century into a branch tied to the Clavesana marquises and a communal one; members held city offices and ran financial activities. The palace's name joins Cepolla with Peloso after Vittoria Cepolla married Bonifacio della Lengueglia. Inside, the second-floor "Sala dei Filosofi" holds humanist-inspired frescoes from the second half of the 15th century.

The palace is the seat of the Ingauna section of the International Institute of Ligurian Studies and, since 1960, of the Roman naval museum of the Experimental Centre for Maritime Archaeology. Access follows the institute's opening, so arrange a visit with the IISL before going. The facade on Piazza San Michele can be seen at any time from the square.

The tower window on Piazza San Michele is walled up and painted with a fresco that imitates glass, window frames and a figure leaning on the sill. Above each newer window, a band of differently coloured plaster marks where the original double-arched windows were lowered.