The Arengario was built in the 14th century to connect the Palace of the Podestà with the Palazzo del Massaro, thus connecting, via an elevated corridor, the place where politics were conducted to the place where the assets of the Municipality of Mantua were administered. The structure appears as a round arch, surmounted by a row of three-light windows and a loggia of nine small arches supported by marble columns. Pausing beneath the vault, it is still possible to see the iron rings used to torture condemned prisoners, a clearly visible message to anyone even intending to break the law.
