Piazza delle Erbe is one of the many squares in the historic center of Padua. For centuries, with Piazza della Frutta, it was the commercial center of the city. In the two squares is one of the largest markets in Italy. Unlike Piazza dei Signori, the civic theater of celebrations, Piazza delle Erbe was the site of the folk festivities. The square is dominated by the imposing Palazzo della Ragione.
The area was active in pre-Roman times. By the time of Imperial Rome, homes gave way to businesses. Its present design is from the tenth and eleventh centuries. The space was occupied by a number of shops and stalls selling all kinds of goods, from the edible to luxury goods. With the construction of the Palazzo della Ragione in the early thirteenth century that areas were assigned to specific types of goods. In the hall sellers of fabrics and furs. At the foot of the staircases around the building were the awnings for iron (Scala del Feri, to the east) and wine (Scala del Vin, to the west) and sellers of grain and leather.
Under the Palazzo del Podesta were the workshops of goldsmiths. In 1302 they expanded the space with the demolition of a warehouse, which is now the fountain. The square took the shape that it now has. as you see it now, especially with the prominent location of the Palazzo del Podesta. In the eighteenth century the medieval houses on the southside were standardized with the porches. In 1874, the Palace of Debite replace the prisons on the west.
In the square, under the Palazzo del Podesta was an ancient well. In August 1785 it was covered with the well structure that had been in the Piazza dei Signori, when that well was sealed. This well was sealed under a manhole – visible on the pavement – in 1930, when it was built the current monumental fountain. The square, paved in the Middle Ages, was paved in several occasions during the eighteenth century and dramatically in 1867.
On the day of St. James, the square hosts the Palio Race "Ludi Carrara", first started by citizens in 1382 [1] to celebrate the lordship Carrara and commemorate the rise to power of James I of Carrara, which occurred 28 June 1318, the feast day of St. James. The rider who first arrived in the square – party race from Voltabarozzo – would win the pallium, a precious piece of silk fabric, while the second goose youth, the third an owl.
The square was the scene of executions since the Middle Ages, with Piazza Castello. It has been called 'Justice Square' and a statue of Justice with sword and scales is placed above the Tower of Elders. The stage for the executions was under the windows of the Palazzo del Podesta. Here were also lodges the Palace of Reason and the scale of Feri – or Justice. There is a second statue of Justice here. The condemned were tended to by the confraternity of the Scuola di San Giovanni.
Some historical executions:
The square has an irregular trapezoidal shape. In the morning of each business day the square hosts the fruit and vegetable market. In the afternoon, numerous bars occupy the space with chairs and tables and are occupied by Padua and tourists to the ritual of animating the square until late evening. On the west is the Palace of Debite and the entrance of the ancient contrà Beccherie (now via Manin) running towards Piazza Duomo. To the east is the Moschini and the entrance to the Contra Škocjan and the Canton del Gallo. Past the medieval houses on the south, the square leads to the ghetto streets of Fabbri (once called Ebrerie) and the ancient road of Caneve (now Via Squarcione) where there were many wine to good. On the north stands the monumental Palazzo della Ragione with numerous lodges and the sixteenth century Palazzo del Podesta.
An engraving nearby the square made by municipal authorities in 1277 reveals ancient Paduan units of measurement—the "copo" and "staro" for the measure of flour and grains, the "quarelo" for the measure brick, and the "brazzo" or "brazzolaro" (arm), which was used to measure the fabric. These standards allowed for a strict control of the quantities and measures of the goods that the traders exchanged in the Piazza delle Erbe and the Piazza della Frutta. [1]
San Gimignano is a small walled medieval hill town in the province of Siena, Tuscany, north-central Italy. Known as the Town of Fine Towers, San Gimignano is famous for its medieval architecture, unique in the preservation of about a dozen of its tower houses, which, with its hilltop setting and encircling walls, form "an unforgettable skyline". Within the walls, the well-preserved buildings include notable examples of both Romanesque and Gothic architecture, with outstanding examples of secular buildings as well as churches. The Palazzo Comunale, the Collegiate Church and Church of Sant' Agostino contain frescos, including cycles dating from the 14th and 15th centuries. The "Historic Centre of San Gimignano" is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The town also is known for saffron, the Golden Ham, and its white wine, Vernaccia di San Gimignano, produced from the ancient variety of Vernaccia grape which is grown on the sandstone hillsides of the area.
The Basilica Palladiana is a Renaissance building in the central Piazza dei Signori in Vicenza, north-eastern Italy. The most notable feature of the edifice is the loggia, which shows one of the first examples of what have come to be known as the Palladian window, designed by a young Andrea Palladio, whose work in architecture was to have a significant effect on the field during the Renaissance and later periods.
Piazza delle Erbe is a square in Verona, northern Italy. It was once the town's forum during the time of the Roman Empire.
The Palazzo della Ragione is a medieval market hall, town hall and palace of justice building in Padua, in the Veneto region of Italy. The upper floor was dedicated to the town and justice administration; while the ground floor still hosts the historical covered market of the city. The palace separates the two market squares of Piazza delle Erbe from Piazza dei Frutti. It is popularly called "il Salone" . It is part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Padua's 14th-century fresco cycles.
Piazza Maggiore is a central square in Bologna, region of Emilia-Romagna, Italy. The appearance in the 21st century, generally reflects the layout from the 15th century. The Northwest corner opens into Piazza del Nettuno with its Fontana del Nettuno, while the Northeast corner opens into the narrower Piazza Re Enzo, running along the flanks of the Palazzo Re Enzo that merges with the Palazzo del Podestà. Flanking the Piazza del Nettuno is the Biblioteca Salaborsa.
Trevi is the 2nd rione of Rome, identified by the initials R. II, located in Municipio I. The origin of its name is not clear, but the most accepted theory is that it comes from the Latin trivium, because there were three streets all leading to the current Piazza dei Crociferi, a square next to the modern Trevi square. Its coat of arms is made of three swords on a red background.
Piazza dei Cavalieri is a landmark in Pisa, Italy, and the second main square of the city. This square was the political centre in medieval Pisa. After the middle of 16th century the square became the headquarters of the Order of the Knights of St. Stephen. Now it is a centre of education, being the main house of the Scuola Normale di Pisa, a higher learning institution part of the University.
Palazzo del Podestà is Italian for "Palace of the Chief Magistrate" of a town.
Palazzo della Ragione may refer to:
Oldrado da Tresseno was an Italian politician, podestà (mayor) of Milan in the 13th century. He is responsible for restructuring Piazza dei Mercanti and ordering the construction of Palazzo della Ragione, a prominent historic building of Milan, which served as a broletto in the Middle Ages. He is also remembered as a fierce prosecutor of the Cathar heretics.
Piazza Mercanti is a central city square of Milan, Italy. It is located between Piazza del Duomo, which marks the centre of the modern city of Milan, and Piazza Cordusio, and it used to be the heart of the city in the Middle Ages. At the time, the square was larger than it is now and known as "Piazza del Broletto", after the "Broletto Nuovo", the palace that occupied the centre of the square. In the 13th century, there were six entry points to the square, each associated to a specific trade, from sword blacksmiths to hat makers.
Palazzo dei Trecento is a building in Treviso, Veneto, northern Italy, located in the Piazza dei Signori. It is home to Treviso municipal council.
Piazza dei Signori is a city square in Padua, region of Veneto, Italy. This piazza for centuries hosted official civic and government celebrations, while the larger squares of Piazza delle Erbe (herbs) and Piazza della Frutta (fruits) hosted commerce and public festive celebrations. The square is dominated by the famous Clock Tower.
Piazza dei Signori is a city square in Treviso, north-eastern Italy.
Piazza dei Signori is a city square in Verona, Italy.
The Palazzo del Podestà, or Palazzo del Broletto, is a 13th-century palace, located between Piazza delle Erbe and Piazza Broletto, in the center of Mantua, region of Lombardy, Italy. The building for many years serving as the offices of the Municipality. The main facade faces Piazza Broletto.
