Located in Piazza della Scala 2, across from the famous La Scala theater, Palazzo Marino has been headquarters for city administration since September 9, 1861, when mayor Antonio Beretta became an official resident there. Today the palazzo, designed by architect Galeazzo Alessi for wealthy Genovese businessman Tommaso Marino, provides a home for the offices of Milano’s mayor, vice mayor, president of the city council, general secretary and general management. In the courtyard of honor Tommaso Marino’s decorations have two main themes: exaltation of the hero in the story of Hercules (lower level) and exaltation of the power of love in its various manifestations through images from Ovid’s Metamorphosis (upper level).