“Piazza Bentivoglio” - the heart of the town - is surrounded by the Marchionale Palace, the Civic Tower, the Community House and the Collegiate Church “Santa Maria della Neve”. It could be considered both as a square and as the main courtyard of the Palace. It is a perfect 96-meter square, composed of 72 bays on three sides and of three entrances on the main streets. The ground floor is surrounded by 68 large arches and the great Civic Tower. The original flooring – 90 cm lower and covered with herringbone bricks – can still be observed in an excavation located in the garden near the Civic Tower. The design of the square has probably multiple authors, however, the intervention of architect and ducal hydraulic engineer Gian Battista Aleotti (“l’Argenta”) is documented. The design of the square is based on late Renaissance elements.