The Ducal Palace is located in Massa in Piazza Aranci. It is also called the Red Palace or Palace of the Prefecture. The palace was started, in 1563, by Alberico I Cybo-Malaspina as the seat of the court, transforming a pre-existing family villa. In 1563 the first enlargement was made, consisting in a new wing towards the present Piazza Aranci. As for the exterior of the structure, the current forms and the characteristic red colour are eighteenth-century works by Alessandro Bergamini and characterised by the vast presence of windows decorated with marble stuccoes and portals that give greater emphasis to the complex. For the interior of the Palace, however, after passing the front door you reach a sumptuous courtyard surrounded by columns, staircases, arcades and marble portals. At the bottom of it is the nymphaeum, a rocky environment dominated by the statue of Neptune riding the waves. Many rooms in the building cannot be visited today because they are intended for use by the prefecture.