Exploring Piazza delle Erbe: Verona’s Heartbeat Through the Ages
Situated in the most atmospheric corner of Verona, the old Piazza delle Erbe covers the space formerly occupied by the Roman Forum.
According to a 2012 rating, it’s the most cherished urban area in Italy and the globe, in addition to being the oldest plaza in Verona. One of Verona’s most striking locations, Piazza delle Erbe has long served as the center of the city’s social, ecclesiastical, and commercial life. It is surrounded by palaces and antique structures.
This 160-meter pedestrian zone with white marble pavement begins on Via Cairoli and ends at Corso Sant’Anastasia after crossing the Via Della Costa and the Via Pellicciai.
The Torre dei Lamberti, built in 1172 using bricks and tuff, the Houses of Mazzanti, which the Scaligeri family had already started using as a granary in the fourteenth century, and the House of Judges, which served as both the mayor’s residence and the city council’s seat, dominate the north side of the square. The magnificent Casa dei Mercanti, commissioned by the Scaligeri family in 1301, lies to the south, while the lovely Palazzo Maffei, constructed in the Baroque style and adorned with statues of the Greek divinities Jupiter, Minerva, Venus, and Apollo, stands to the west.
Built on the site of the former Roman forum, whose plan it still follows, the square has gradually seen the construction of medieval structures take the place of those constructed during the reign of ancient Rome. As the centuries have gone by, different architectural eras have combined to create a singular area that has made Piazza delle Erbe, also known as just Piazza Erbe, one of the most picturesque gathering spots in Italy and a popular destination for tourists visiting Romeo and Juliet.
Approaching the plaza from the southeast corner’s Via Mazzini, you may see some structures that preserve the characteristics of the municipal era’s tower houses, followed by Renaissance structures dominated by the Gardello Tower—home to the city’s oldest bell clock.
The Domus Nova and the Costa Arch, which get their names from a whale rib that hangs from the vault, are located in the final section of the square.
Gian Galeazzo Visconti commissioned the Market Column in 1401, which features a Gothic art aedicule with religious statues on top (they were installed approximately in 1930).
Then there’s the column of San Marco, likewise made of white marble, and the “berlina,” a kind of 12th-century marble canopy that displays standard city commercial measurements on the stairs. This 1523 sculpture has the Republic of Venice’s lion perched atop it.
The fountain of Madonna Verona
The fountain of Madonna Verona, with its lovely basin where the water from the Lorì di Avesa river flows, is the oldest icon of the plaza. It towers imposingly in the center. This fountain, adored by the people of Venice and a symbol of the city, was built in 1368 by Cansignorio, a member of the Della Scala family. A massive Roman basin of red Veronese marble was installed, along with a statue that lacked limbs and heads.
The effigies of the four rulers—Verus, Alboin, King of the Lombards, Berengario, and Verona Queen—are arranged on the pedestal, and the Latin phrase “Est justi latrix urbs haec et Laudis Amatrix,” which is Verona’s ancient motto, appears in the copper cartouche held by the statue’s hands (it is a city that dispenses justice and loves praise).
The Piazzetta XIV Novembre
The Piazzetta XIV Novembre, located in the Piazza delle Erbe, is home to a bronze statue that depicts the Giustizia. This sculpture, created by artist Egidio Girelli, commemorates the tragic events of 1915 when three German aircraft bombarded this Veronese neighborhood that was targeted for the local market. The bomb fragments that detonated here resulted in 29 fatalities and 48 injuries.