In Italy, an arengario (also spelled arrengario or arengo; pl.: arengari, arrengari, arenghi) is a government building in various historic periods, often with a balcony for giving speeches.Arengario di Brescia
It was originally the town hall of Italian medieval communes, especially in Northern Italy.Definition of Arengario
The Fascist regime revived the form and often made it the seat of the local government and the podestà (mayor).Arengario: definition
Notable arengari include: the medieval Arengario of Monza the Pallazo dell'Arengario of Milan, begun as a Fascist monument but only completed in the 1950s. Some arengari are not buildings, but freestanding podiums for delivering speeches:
the Fascist arengario of Brescia, conceived by Marcello Piacentini and designed and sculpted by ; the Fascist "Arengario ai caduti fascisti" of Bergamo (Piazza Matteotti), built in 1939 to plans by Alziro Bergonzo and nicknamed 'the cake of soap'. It was demolished on Liberation Day (April 1945). Includes photos of the Arengario. There is also an arengo at the base of the in Bergamo.
Etymology comes from the verb 'to address', as arengari usually have balconies for making speeches. It is related to the English word "harangue", but without the negative connotations.
See also Broletto, another kind of Italian civic building
Footnotes