Alvito retains many traces of its glorious past inside the Ducal Palace, once the residence of the Gallio family, now the Town Hall.
Built starting in 1600 by Cardinal Tolomeo, the building was completed in 1685. The atrium and the grand staircase leading directly to the Court Theatre” and the Council Chamber are remarkable. The hall has a barrel ceiling and a monumental fireplace. All around, friezes, frescos, decorations and four impressive paintings from the 16th century partly restore the luxurious atmosphere of the time.
The paintings, dating from between the 15th and 16th centuries, present mythological subjects such as Tobias and Tobiolo, Diana and Endymion, Olindo and Sofronia, the Armida's Garden. In the duke's “chamber”, on the other hand, several canvases are painted in the ceiling stuccoes, dedicated to different episodes from Gerusalemme Liberata. In the Court Theatre, the coats of arms are still visible, depicted in the upper band of the four walls.
On the outside, the façade has window frames surmounted by stucco friezes and balconies supported by carved stone corbels with wrought iron railings. The arcade was added by Ptolemy II in 1666.
