Palazzo Malatestiano
On Piazza XX Settembre, the Palazzo Malatestiano presents a Renaissance facade beside the Palazzo della Ragione. Built after 1357 for Galeotto I Malatesta, it was the family’s seat during their century-long lordship. The exterior is Renaissance, but six centuries of alterations hide behind it.
The oldest part dates from the 14th century: a great vaulted hall—likely the first residence—and a small turret. Pandolfo III added a modern section between 1413 and 1423. Gothic mullioned windows remain; a staircase and loggia come from a 16th-century restoration. A modern bridge connects to the Palazzo del Podestà, probably echoing an original link.
Inside, the Museo Civico holds an archaeological collection and an art gallery. Look for Roman coins and medals, and paintings by Guido Reni, Domenichino, Guercino, Michele Giambono, and Giovanni Santi. The Borgia-Cybo Arch, late 15th century, signals the end of Malatesta rule.
The piazza bears the date of Italy’s unification, but the palace predates it by centuries. Fano was once Fanum Fortunae, the Temple of Fortune. In 2026, archaeologists unearthed the remains of a Roman basilica nearby—described by Vitruvius. The layers run deep. The Palazzo Malatestiano invites you to read them.
Fano’s history runs through the Palazzo Malatestiano. The city was Fanum Fortunae, Temple of Fortune, first mentioned in 49 BC when Julius Caesar held it. Augustus built a wall and a surviving arch. By the 14th century, the Malatesta family took control. Galeotto I became lord in 1356 and built this palace as his seat.
The building rose after 1357. Its 14th-century core includes a great vaulted hall, probably the first residence, and a small turret. Pandolfo III added a new section between 1413 and 1423. The Gothic mullioned windows from that period remain. A 16th-century restoration added a staircase and loggia.
The Borgia-Cybo Arch, late 15th century, punctuates the facade. It was added after the Malatesta lost Fano to Papal troops in 1463. Sigismondo Pandolfo Malatesta, the condottiero, had been besieged. The palace then passed through Cesare Borgia’s short-lived state and the Della Rovere duchy.
In the 20th century, the building was heavily restored. The restoration preserved the original Gothic windows and the later staircase and loggia. A modern bridge connects the palace to the Palazzo del Podestà, likely recreating an original connection.
Today the palace houses the Museo Civico. The archaeological section displays coins, medals, and objects from the Roman colony. The art gallery features works by Guido Reni, Domenichino, Guercino, Michele Giambono, and Giovanni Santi. These artists represent the Baroque and Renaissance schools that Fano patronized.
Across the piazza, the Palazzo del Podestà dates from 1229. Nearby, the Arco d’Augusto stands as a reminder of the Roman city. In 2026, excavations in the piazza uncovered the civic basilica described by Vitruvius—a Roman-era public building that had long been sought.
The palace’s layered history mirrors Fano itself. The cathedral, built after a fire in 1111, was restored in the 1920s. The town’s namesake temple of Fortuna lies beneath the convent of Saint Augustine. The Palazzo Malatestiano, with its Renaissance facade and Gothic bones, is the perfect introduction to this quiet Adriatic city.
You can spend an hour here, but the echoes of six centuries linger longer. The great vaulted hall, the arch, the paintings—each layer tells a piece of Fano’s story. It is a place that rewards slow attention.
