THE PALACE
PALP was born in 2016 inside the Palazzo Pretorio, in Pontedera. The native nucleus of the building dates back to the mid-‘300, but what that we can see today is the result of a rich and complex historical stratification.
Located in the historic centre, Palazzo Pretorio in the ‘400 th became the headquarter of the Podesteria and then, at the end of the 700th, of the Vicariate. From 1848 until 2013 the palace has been the place of the local court and the top floor still hosts the prisons. Palazzo Pretorio thanks to the recent renovation has become an excellent exhibition centre. On the ground floor we can find Mandarino’s caffè, on the first floor there is a PALP’s place. This floor develops on two levels and it’s used as an art exhibition centre. On the third floor there are the old prisons, that in particular moments it’s possible visit it.
The Pontedera Culture Foundation
The events organized at the Palp premises are promoted by the Pontedera Foundation for Culture, established in 2016 by the Municipality of Pontedera and the Municipality of Peccioli. The Foundation promotes the dissemination of culture through the promotion of cultural proposals, with particular attention to the protection and enhancement of assets of historical and artistic interest. Among the aims of the Foundation there is also the realization of projects, training and publishing activities, seminars, courses, conferences, study meetings and awareness initiatives to promote the dissemination of action culture, the professional training of sector operators and a more in-depth knowledge of the experimentation and research activities in the areas of interest. The Pontedera Foundation for Culture was founded with the support of the city, its industrial, commercial and financial fabric. It is thanks to the contribution of companies, banks and individual citizens that it was possible to organize our exhibitions and achieve the set objectives.