Palazzo dei Commendatori

The Palazzo dei Commendatori in Maruggio is one of the oldest and most important buildings in the town, erected by the Knights of Malta in 1368.\n\nAccess is via Via Umberto I, where an arch leads to a courtyard that once housed the Chapel of the Madonna della Visitazione, but its most regal facade faces the central Piazza del Popolo.\n\nThe castle is structured over two levels and, in addition to some rooms on the first floor, includes oil mills and warehouses on the ground floor, while the courtyard is dominated by a colonnaded covered staircase.\n\nThe palazzo stood close to the city walls, and evidence of its valiant past can still be seen today in the large triptych displaying the coat of arms and weapons of the Grand Master of the time, Hugues Loubenx de Verdalle, and above the entrance arch, that of the Commendatore Alliata, the same one that adorns the facade of the mother church.