Palazzo Comunale, Town hall in Piazza Aurelio Saffi, Forlì, Italy

The Palazzo Comunale faces Piazza Aurelio Saffi with a long porticoed facade of Neoclassical design by Gottardo Perseguiti and Giovanni Bertoni, rebuilt between 1822 and 1826. Inside, Antonio Galli da Bibbiena's monumental staircase, completed in 1765, leads to the Sala del Consiglio, formerly Sala dei Fasti, painted by Giuseppe Marchetti with trompe-l'œil architecture and episodes from Forlì's history. The civic tower rises at the rear, rebuilt in 1977 after its destruction in 1944.

Construction of the palace began around 1000 on the site of an older tower and became the residence of the Ordelaffi family in 1412. Over the following centuries, the building was expanded and renovated multiple times to meet changing needs.

The Council Hall, formerly the Sala dei Fasti, was decorated from 1763 by Forlì painter Giuseppe Marchetti to a design by Antonio Galli da Bibbiena, with episodes from Forlì's history set within painted trompe-l'œil columns, balconies and windows. Other rooms hold frescoes by Francesco Menzocchi in the Sala delle Ninfe and by Felice Giani in the former podestà offices, now partly used by the mayor.

The interior can be visited during office hours, with guided group tours available by advance reservation at the municipal office. It is worth checking opening hours ahead of time and arranging group visits in advance for the best experience.

The civic tower behind the palace was mined by retreating German troops in 1944; its collapse also destroyed the Teatro Comunale, a theatre designed by Cosimo Morelli and opened in 1776. The tower was rebuilt in 1977, restoring the element that defines the building's profile from Piazza Saffi.