All Squares in Veneto

Piazza Libertà, known also as Piazza dei Signori, is the main square of Bassano del Grappa, located in the historical center of the town. Known for its vibrant atmosphere and its harmonious blend of historical architecture, Piazza Libertà serves as a cultural and social hub, drawing both locals and tourists alike.   SHORT HISTORY OF PIAZZA LIBERTÀ The square was obtained by filling the moat that surrounded the second circle of walls of Bassano del Grappa, and it was called at first Piazza San Giovanni, from the name of the church built there in 1308. Starting with 1867, it was dedicated to Vittorio Emanuele II, King of Italy, and during the Second World War it was called Piazza del Popolo.   ARCHITECTURE OF PIAZZA LIBERTÀ The square is the nodal point of the city where the main streets of the centre converge. On the northern side of the square, there are prestigious buildings, including the houses of the ancient Remondini printing house and Loggia del Comune. On the southern side of the square, one can find the imposing facade of the Church of San Giovanni Battista. Commissioned by the de’ Biasi family, the church dates back to 1308 and was Read more [...]

Piazza Garibaldi is a square in Bassano del Grappa, located in the historical center of the town, adjacent to Piazza Libertà. The square was named after Giuseppe Garibaldi, a prominent Italian general and nationalist who played a significant role in the unification of Italy. Popularly, the square is also known as Piazza della Fontana, due to the Bonaguro Fountain (Fontana Bonaguro), located in its center, or Piazza delle Erbe, because for centuries the vegetable market was held there.   SHORT HISTORY OF PIAZZA GARIBALDI The current appearance of the square dates from 1776, when the architect Antonio Gaidon arranged it. In 1898, the arrival of a water pipe from the Fontanazzi springs that brought pure water right to the center of Bassano, represented an event of national importance. The event was then celebrated with the construction of the Bonaguro Fountain in the center of the square. The fountain was designed by the sculptor Carlo Spazzi, and named after the mayor Antonio Bonaguro, who donated it to the community on the occasion of the inauguration of the public aqueduct.   ARCHITECTURE OF PIAZZA GARIBALDI Piazza Garibaldi is overlooked, to the north, by the Civic Tower (Torre Civica), while to the south Read more [...]

Campo Sant’Angelo, known in Venetian dialect as Campo Sant’Anzolo, is a square in Venice, located in the San Marco district (sestiere). The campo owes its name to the homonymous church that once stood there.   SHORT HISTORY OF CAMPO SANT’ANGELO Campo Sant’Angelo was once separated by Rio de Sant Anzolo, which currently delimits its southwestern side, by the Church of San Michele Arcangelo. The church was demolished at the beginning of the 19th century, in the wake of the Napoleonic suppression of Italian religious orders.   ARCHITECTURE OF CAMPO SANT’ANGELO Campo Sant’Angelo is a large square located about halfway between Campo Santo Stefano and the smaller Campo Manin. The square is overlooked by palaces of great historical-architectural importance. On its northwestern side, there is Palazzo Trevisan Pisani, also known as Palazzo Somachi, built in the 17th century for the Trevisan family and ceded later to the Pisani family. Adjacent to Palazzo Trevisan Pisani, we can find Palazzo Gritti, also known as Palazzo Gritti Morosini, built in the 16th century for the noble Gritti family. On the eastern part of the square, there is Palazzo Duodo a Sant’Angelo, built in the 15th century for the Duodo family and bought later by Read more [...]

Piazza Castello is one of the main squares of Vicenza, located in the western part of the historical center of the city, near the Salvi Gardens and Loggia Valmarana.   DESCRIPTION Piazza Castello hosts several Palladian palaces. The most important, located in the southern part of the square, is Palazzo Porto in Piazza Castello, also known as Porto Breganze, designed around 1571 by the architect Andrea Palladio for Alessandro Porto. In the northern part of Piazza Castello, we can find Palazzo Thiene Bonin Longare, another palace designed by Andrea Palladio presumably in 1572, and built by Vincenzo Scamozzi after the death of the architect. Other important buildings in the square are Palazzo Piovini and the medieval Tower of Porta Castello. The square also houses a statue of Giuseppe Garibaldi, made by Ettore Ferrari in 1887.   HOW TO GET THERE Piazza Castello is located about 500 meters away from the Vicenza railway station. The closest bus stop is right in the square, on the bus Lines 1, 2, 4, 5, 7, 10 and 18.

Piazza dei Signori is the main square of Vicenza, located in the historical center of the city. Originally a Roman forum and then a market, the square is best known today for the Basilica Palladiana, the grandiose work of Andrea Palladio. The square has a rectangular shape and is delimited to the southwest by the Palladian Basilica and the Bissara Tower, while on the opposite side we can find Loggia del Capitaniato and Palazzo del Monte di Pietà, which incorporates the beautiful Church of San Vincenzo.   SHORT HISTORY In antiquity, the area of Piazza dei Signori was the site of the Roman forum of Vicetia. Later, during the Middle Ages, the area was called Perònio, and was the center of the political, commercial and social life of the city. The oldest building in the square is the Bissara Tower (Torre Bissara), built in 1174 at the behest of the Bissara family, next to their palace. In the 13th century, the municipality of Vicenza bought both the palace and the tower. After escaping the terrible earthquake of January 25, 1348, the tower was raised around the middle of the 15th century, reaching its current height. Near the tower, stands the Read more [...]

Campo Santa Maria Formosa is one of the largest squares (campo) in Venice, located in the Castello district (sestiere). The name of the square comes from the Church of Santa Maria Formosa.   ARCHITECTURE The square is delimited by three canals – Santa Maria Formosa, Pestrin and Mondo Novo. In the square, there are many buildings of historical and architectural importance. In the northern part of the square, there is the Priuli Ruzzini Palace, built as the residence of the noble Ruzzini family in the late 16th century, on a project attributed to Bartolomeo Manopola. The palace, which was in a state of profound neglect at the beginning of the 21st century, was completely renovated and currently houses a hotel. Next, to the northeast, there is Palazzo Morosini del Pestrin, built in the 17th century at the behest of the patrician family of Morosini del Pestrin. Between 2001 and 2009, the second floor of the palace housed the Honorary Consulate of France and the Cultural Delegation of the French Embassy in Venice. To the east, we have the Donà Palaces (Palazzi Donà), three noble residences built between the 15th and 16th centuries for the Donà family. Currently, the buildings are Read more [...]

Piazza dei Signori, also known as Piazza Dante, is a beautiful square located in the historical center of Verona, adjacent to Piazza delle Erbe.   SHORT HISTORY The square was formed in the Middle Ages, and was gradually defined by the palaces that were built around it. The first building, erected near the end of the 12th century, was Palazzo della Ragione, followed between the 13th and 14th centuries by Palazzo del Capitanio and Palazzo del Podesta, both built by the powerful family of Della Scala, Lords of Verona. From the beginning, the square assumed political and administrative functions, and became the most important place in the city during the Venetian domination. Around the middle of the 17th century, a fountain was built by Pietro Tedesco in the center of the square. However, by the turn of the century, it was decided that the fountain was insufficient to decorate such a monumental square, and it was demolished. In 1865, a new monument was built in the center of the square – the statue of the Italian poet Dante Aligheri, work of the sculptor Ugo Zannoni.   ARCHITECTURE In the southern corner of the square, we can find Palazzo della Ragione, Read more [...]

Piazza Bra is the largest square in Verona, located in historical center of the city. The most important structure in the square is, without doubt, the famous Roman amphitheater known as the Arena di Verona. The Arena, located in the northern part of the square, was built in the 1st century AD. Still used today, the Arena is one of the best preserved ancient structures of its kind and the world’s eighth-largest Roman amphitheater.   SHORT HISTORY The area began to take the shape of a square only in the first half of the 16th century, when the architect Michele Sanmicheli completed the Honorij Palace (Palazzo degli Honorij), which delimited the western side of the future square. The first attempt to transform the dirt road into a square belonged to the mayor Alvise Mocenigo, who wanted to create a meeting place for the Veronese bourgeoisie. He inaugurated the first part of the Liston, the paved sidewalk that flanks the Bra Square, in 1770. On March 13, 1782, Francesco Menegatti presented a project for the definitive paving of the Liston and, after his intervention, the Bra became the favorite place for afternoon walks. Palazzo della Gran Guardia, began by the Venetians Read more [...]

Piazza dei Signori or Piazza della Signoria is a beautiful square in the historic center of Padua, with the famous Clock Tower on one side and the Church of San Clemente on the other. Its name comes from Palazzo della Signoria, residence of the Lords of Padua between 1318 and 1405, a building that does not exist anymore.   SHORT HISTORY Piazza dei Signori appeared in the 14th century on the place of an ancient district, as the result of an urban reorganization promoted by Ubertino da Carrara, Lord of Padua. The war between the Carraresi and the Visconti at the end of the 14th century damaged the square and left it in ruins until the ‘20s of the 15th century, when the Venetians started a work of recovery. At first, the square was paved with terracotta tiles, arranged in a herringbone pattern, gradually replaced starting from the 18th century by tiles of Euganean trachyte. Following a speech by Father Alessandro Gavazzi, on May 9, 1848, the square became Piazza Pio IX, the heart of the anti-Austrian popular movement. Then, it became Piazza Unità d’Italia, to return to its original name during the Fascist era. Now, the square hosts part Read more [...]

Piazza delle Erbe, also known in the past as Piazza delle Biade (Corn Square), Piazza del Vino (Wine Square) or Piazza della Giustizia (Justice Square), is a beautiful square in Padua, located in the historical center of the city. The square is dominated by the magnificent Palazzo della Ragione.   SHORT HISTORY The area dates back to pre-Roman times, as evidenced by the numerous archaeological finds. Although the place was destined for trade since the imperial age, its current conformation dates back to a period between the 9th and the 11th centuries. After the construction of the Palazzo della Ragione at the beginning of the 13th century, the various shops were reorganized – under the portico of the palace, the sellers of fabrics and fur were installed, the sellers of wrought iron in the east of the square, the sellers of wine in the west, while the stalls with grains and leather were installed in the center of the square. The goldsmiths were located under the portico of the Palazzo del Podestà, built also in the 13th century in the eastern side of the square. In the 18th century, the arcades of the medieval houses located to the south of Read more [...]

Piazza della Frutta (Fruit Square), once called Piazza del Peronio, is a beautiful square in Padua, dominated by the imposing Palazzo della Ragione. Together with the nearby Piazza delle Erbe, Piazza della Frutta was, for centuries, the commercial center of the city.   SHORT HISTORY The area was inhabited since pre-Roman times, as evidenced by numerous archaeological finds. According to some, it was a site of trade already during the Roman age, but owes its current conformation to a period between the 10th and 11th centuries. The square was occupied by numerous shops and stalls, selling all kinds of goods, especially vegetables and fruits. With the construction of the Palazzo della Ragione at the beginning of the 13th century, an attempt was made to arrange the various points of sale – under the hall, the sellers of fabrics and fur were installed, the vendors of poultry and game to the east, the sellers of fruits and vegetables to the west, while the removable stalls with leather were placed in the center of the square. During the 17th and 18th centuries, the medieval houses enclosing the square were renovated, with the rectification of the arcades. In the first half of the Read more [...]