Walking along Corso Giacomo Matteoti, which is full of interesting buildings, we came upon this Renaissance Palace. It dates from the end of the 15th and the beginning of the 16th century and was built by Cremonese architect Guglielmo De Lera for humanist Benedetto Fodri. The façade is unremarkable and sober, apart from a richly decorated terracotta frieze running all along the façade (stringcourse) and another one, just under the roof with protruding busts of ladies and gentlemen, which are so large their facial expression is clearly visible from the street. The inscription ‘Sacro Monte di Pietà’ (Holy Mount of Piety) under the portal tympanum dates from the time (1785 – 1930) when the palazzo housed an institutional charity pawnbroker. The palace only stayed in the hands of the Fodri family until 1578 when it was sold to the Monastery of Santa María de Valverde. After the abolition of the order in 1785 it passed to the Mount of Piety. According to the information panel outside Palazzo Fodri has a beautiful porticoed courtyard and its interior is worth seeing, but the door was closed and there was no indication the place could be visited on a regular basis. So we had to make do with admiring the outside.

I must believe the other reviewers that this place is worth a visit, because right now it's undergoing renovations so the entrance is blocked. All we could see is the beautiful inner courtyard with marble pillars supporting the second floor & the frescoes on the walls & ceiling.