ABSTRACT
The Portico Lungo is the key backdrop in the ambitious definition of the main square in Carpi, the 3rd for dimension in Italy. The Portico Lungo uniquely characterises Carpi main square. Its 52 arcades define the west-side of the space, facing Palazzo dei Pio. Moving from the end of the 19th century its construction was interpreted as part of Prince Alberto Pio III's ambitious renovation policy of Carpi and his unfulfilled aim to turn it into the capital "city" of his state. The identification of the dynamics linked to its construction offers new testimonies to the debate on the history of Carpi. The careful observation of the Portico facade highlights the heterogenous nature of the building. The masonry of the main facade is a wall-bond with regular and mainly stretcher courses. The ground floor with the porch presents brick segmental arches with decorated terracotta tiles on top of them, supported by brick pillars with chiefly octagonal shafts.
