Piazza Vittorio Veneto is the most important square in Matera, and the main access point to the Sassi. The square is located at the crossroads of the main streets of the city center – the elegant Via del Corso with its shops and bistros, Via delle Beccherie that leads to the Duomo, Via Roma and Via XX Settembre. The square offers one of the most exciting views over the Sassi, from the point known as Tre Archi. Also, the main access to Sasso Barisano is right in the square. SHORT HISTORY OF PIAZZA VITTORIO VENETO Piazza Vittorio Veneto was previously called Piazza Del Plebiscito, and, before that, was also known as Piazza della Fontana due to the presence of the large monumental Fontana Ferdinandea. The current appearance of the square is due to the restoration works of 1993, when the monument to the fallen was moved, and the road that crossed the square was eliminated. ARCHITECTURE OF PIAZZA VITTORIO VENETO In the western part of the square, there is the imposing Palazzo dell’Annunziata, built between 1735 and 1747 as the Monastery dell’Annunziata for the Dominican nuns. Since 1998, inside the palace is housed the Provincial Library Tommaso Stigliani, Read more [...]
All Squares in Matera
In Italy, a city square, commonly found at the meeting of two or more streets, is a piazza. Every Italian city has a piazza or more, with streets radiating from the center, with green areas and places to rest. As key points in a city, in the squares you can find shops and public transport stations, but the Italians use it especially for evening walks and meetings with friends. Also, the city's main events take place in the central square.
The worlds best known square may be the Piazza San Marco, in Venice, but we must not forget other beautiful squares like Piazza della Signoria in Florence, Piazza del Campo in Siena, Campo dei Miracoli in Pisa, Prato della Valle in Padua, Piazza Maggiore in Bologna, Piazza San Pietro in Vatican, Piazza Navona and Piazza di Spagna in Rome, or Piazza del Plebiscito in Naples. Moreover, every town in Italy, no matter how small, has a beautiful main square that we invite you to discover.
Piazza del Sedile
Piazza del Sedile is a square in Matera, located between Piazza Vittorio Veneto and Piazza Duomo, a transit place in your way to the Civita, the highest point in the city. SHORT HISTORY OF PIAZZA DEL SEDILE During the 14th century, the square was called Piazza Maggiore, and was the main hub of the town, housing the market, warehouses and shops. Around the middle of the 16th century, Matera was a free city, under the authority of the King, but not controlled by a feudal lord, like other places belonging to the Kingdom of Naples. Therefore, the town was governed by a self-organized assembly of citizens, whose task was to administer the city and the surrounding territories. This assembly was called Sedile. Subsequently, the square became a political and administrative center, with the governor’s offices, the prison and the municipal building known as Palazzo del Sedile (Palace of the Seat) located here. In the decades following the Unification of Italy, the assembly of Sedile was replaced by the Commissariat for Civic Uses (Commissariato agli Usi Civici). Today, the square plays a socio-economic-cultural role, dictated by the presence of numerous restaurants, bars and tourist attractions. ARCHITECTURE OF PIAZZA DEL Read more [...]