In Palazzo Cortevigodarzere there are many features which reveal how the building would have looked in the Middle Ages. Arrow loops in a corner of the courtyard show how the structure was the city's forward outpost in the countryside; the barrel vaulting in the old ice house and old floorings revealed during restoration works indicate how the rooms opening onto the road were used as animal sheds and houses; under the porticoes there was a pedestrian route whilst a water duct flowed where the modern road now is.
It was only in the 1800s that the Palazzo took on its monumental appearance as we see it today which was the result of some far-sighted restoration work which involved knocking down part of the road frontage to add light to the houses and opening up the garden to the city.
The result is an invasion of light, better airflow and therefore a healthier environment, improving the well-being of the middle classes who would have rented the apartments.
Recognition as an Italian National Monument is thanks to this, as Palazzo Cortevigodarzere represents a unique example of this type of architecture in a city, telling the history of the evolution of the region.
