Built at the beginning of the 13th century, the Palazzo dell' Arengo is the oldest building of the Broletto, a complex that has traditionally been the hub of the civic life of the Novara. The structure has an atrium with pillars supporting round arches and four three-mullioned windows on the exterior, as well as remains of a frieze painted around 1460 that depicts coats of arms and scenes from chivalry romances (perhaps the heroic foundation of the city). The characteristic covered staircase "Arengaria" which allows access to the building is instead a reconstruction of the first half of the last century. The entrance side (south side) is occupied by the "Palazzo del Podestà" (14th and 15th century), which opens onto the courtyard by a porch with pointed arches, surmounted by five fine single-lancet windows with terracotta decorations and frescoes, dating back to the 15th century. The Palazzo dei Referendari, built in the fifteenth century, stands on the west side. houses the Civic Museums and the Paolo and Adele Giannoni Modern Art Gallery; the former consist of an archaeological section (including materials found in the Novara area, starting from the Neolithic age up to the Lombard period) and a historical-artistic section (with masterpieces ranging from the early thirteenth century to the twentieth century documenting the artistic production of the area). The Modern Art Gallery was donated to the municipality by Alfredo Giannoni during the 1930s. More than 800 works, divided into 13 rooms, witness a broad range of aspects of the Italian painting over the last two centuries.