To spot the Palazzo del Sedile, look for an impressive, light-colored stone façade with a large arched entrance flanked by two tower-like structures-one with a clock and the other with a sundial-lined with statues above and around the arch.
Welcome, traveler, to the beating heart of old Matera-the Palazzo del Sedile! Imagine you’re standing where the townsfolk have gathered for centuries, beneath the gaze of stone saints and watchful statues. In the 1500s, this spot was positively buzzing with city life-discussions about bread prices, rules for selling cheese, and debates over who’d pay for fixing the town’s water all echoed through these arches. I like to imagine some ancient Materan muttering, “You think ice is expensive now? Wait ‘til you see the price of snow cones!”
Before the grand palace you see now, the city council, known as the Parliament of Matera, bounced around different buildings, dragging their books and scrolls behind them. Eventually, though, they needed a proper headquarters-no more squatting in someone’s dining room. The Sedile was built at the foot of the old city walls, right between the gates of Juso and the hill of San Francesco. This became the “talking palace”-but not just because the council never stopped chattering. The façade itself is actually designed to speak to you, believe it or not! See the statues on either side? On the left stands Saint Eustace, and on the right, Saint Irene, the city’s protectors. But look closer: below their feet rest the ancient Sassi of Matera, right on the palace wall.
Zoom in on the four women in the niches-they stand for the four cardinal virtues: Prudence and her snake, Fortitude snapping a column, Temperance mixing water into wine (a skill I wish my uncle at family reunions would learn), and Justice, holding scales and a sword. It’s as if the palace is whispering, “Here’s how to run a city right!”
The big Renaissance arch in front of you is flanked by two towers-one with a clock that’s counted down countless meetings, and one with a sundial that’s probably confused a few visitors on cloudy days. Step inside and you’d find an archway adorned with frescoes of King Charles III on horseback, plus painted ceilings celebrating the beauties of the old Kingdom of Naples.
In the 1960s, a conservatory brought music back to the Sedile-its new concert hall filling Piazza del Sedile with melodies instead of council squabbles. These days, whether you’re here for politics or a piano recital, this palace still makes history sing.
