The name derives from the nearby (Lista) palazzo which used to be occupied by the Spanish ambassadors. There used to be a canal here, which has been filled in as remembered by the term Rio Terà. 

The Palazzo was built by the Frigerio family, as attested by the coat of arms representing a tower with griffons on the well head in the palazzo’s courtyard. Along the Lista, we can spot various types of coats of arms and paterae: