Piazza delle Erbe. Piazza delle Erbe Square Historical monuments and buildings of the square

Piazza delle Erbe

The most famous square in Verona, Piazza delle Erbe, or "grassy square" is located on the site of the ancient forum. Around the square itself there are many famous architectural landmarks, such as the Maffei Palace and the Merchants' House. And nearby are several popular hotels in Verona.

Parade of architectural masterpieces

Also here is the Torre del Gardello, which was built in 1370 and is decorated with Ghibelline battlements. Another interesting building is the Mazzanti House, which attracts attention with its luxurious façade, painted with frescoes in the 16th century. The Lamberti Tower rises above the square, as well as over the rest of the buildings, gracefully adjacent to the covered Berlin pavilion, built in the 13th century. It was used for the solemn ceremony of inauguration of each ruler of Verona.

Of course, the center of any square is fountains, and the entire architectural complex of Piazza del Erbe is harmoniously completed by the fountain of the Verona Madonna, which was erected under Cansignorio della Scala in 1368.

Moving on to studying the temple architecture of the city, it is worth visiting the Basilica of San Zeno Maggiore, which is an excellent example of Italian architecture, made in the Romanesque style.

Piazza delle Erbe, also known as Piazza delle Blade and Piazza del Vino, is one of the squares in the historical center of Padua. For centuries, along with Piazza delle Frutta, it was shopping center city ​​- in these two squares one of the largest markets in Italy was and still is held. In addition, Piazza delle Erbe served as a venue for popular festivities. The square is dominated by the impressive Palazzo della Ragione, which today houses the City Hall of Padua.

The territory of the current Piazza delle Erbe was inhabited by people in times before the Roman Empire. Its appearance began to take shape in the 10th and 11th centuries, when the space of the square was occupied by shops and taverns, where everything could be sold and bought. In the 13th century, the Palazzo della Ragione was built, and only traders of certain goods remained in the square - iron, wine, grain and leather. Jewelers' shops were located near the Palazzo del Podesta. Later, in the 18th century, medieval houses on south side the squares were brought to a unified form by building covered galleries, and in 1874, on the western side of the square, instead of a prison, the Palazzo del Debite was erected.

The landmark of Piazza delle Erbe is the monumental fountain, built in 1930 on the site of an ancient well. Since 1382, the Palio “Ludi Carrara” horse race has been held on the square, dedicated to the reign of the Carrara family. By the way, at the same time, public executions were often carried out on the square, right under the windows of the Palazzo del Podesta - here stood two statues of Justice with a sword and scales in their hands. Both of them have survived to this day.

Today Piazza delle Erbe is an irregular trapezoidal square. In the mornings, vegetable and fruit stalls begin their work here, and in the afternoon, numerous cafes and bars open their doors, which are immediately occupied by tourists and city residents. On the western side of the square stands the Palazzo del Debite, and the beginning of Via Manin leading to Piazza Duomo. And behind the medieval houses on the south side begin the Fabbri quarters and the ancient street Via Squarcione.

Piazza delle Erbe, whose name in Italian means “Piazza of Herbs” (or “Piazza of Greengrocers”), because herbs and fruits were sold there, is the oldest square in Verona, located on the site of the ancient Roman forum. Where in In ancient Verona, two main streets intersected, today there is the Piazza dei Herbs. In the era Ancient Rome it was the center of political and economic life cities.

Piazza delle Erbe in Verona is one of the most interesting places in the city.

Since the times of Ancient Rome, Piazza delle Erbe has been the political and cultural center of the city. Many years later, almost nothing has changed; people still flock here, only not to listen to someone speak, but to enjoy the local beauty.

The rectangular square is framed by buildings from different eras.

Along the long sides of the square are palaces and houses from the medieval and Renaissance periods. In the west there is a group of houses called Borgoletto and the Merchant's House, in the east - the Palace of the Commune) and the Mazzanti House.

Domus Mercatorum (Italian: Domus Mercatorum) - House of Merchants

A Gothic-style building that served as the residence of professional corporations in the Middle Ages. A loggia on arches was added to the building in 1301, at the direction of Alberto della Scala, and during the restoration of the building in the 19th century, Ghibelline battlements appeared on its roof.

The first building on this site was erected in 1210 and was intended for the guilds of merchants and artisans. The original structure was wooden, but already in 1301 the powerful Verona nobleman Alberto della Scala ordered the building to be rebuilt in stone and arches added to it on the ground floor, which can still be seen today

Later, the Domus Mercatorum was reconstructed several more times, and acquired its final form in the 19th century.

During the medieval commune, the merchant's house played a central role in the management of the city, and during the reign of the Scaligers it was entirely devoted to the needs of commerce and manufacturing. Craft and trade associations were located here.

The merchant's house was built in the Romanesque style and has a continuous facade overlooking the square and Via Pelicciai.

The second floor is decorated with beautiful double windows, each framed by an arch similar to the gallery of the first floor and containing two more semi-circular terminations supported by paired columns.

The ground floor is enclosed by a gallery of polychrome arches supported by graceful Doric stone columns and powerful piers.

The façade is crowned with powerful Ghibelline battlements.

Today it houses the People's Bank of Verona.

House Mazzanti (Italian: Case Mazzanti)

One of the oldest houses in Verona.

The 16th century frescoes that decorate the facade of the Mazzanti House represent allegories: “Ignorance”, “Greed”, “Love”, “Temperance” and the composition “The Fight of the Giants”.

The Mazzanti house in Piazza Erbe is actually several medieval houses united by a painted façade. On the ground floor, under the arches, there were trading shops. The third floor is united by a long balcony running across the entire façade.

During the Renaissance, many facades in Verona were so decorated, and this tradition was so strong here that Verona was even called “Urbs picta”, “the decorated city”. Initially, paint was applied to the walls of houses only to protect the building from bad weather, but over time, painting turned into an important decorative element of buildings.

It is known that in the 13th century the upper part of the house was used by the Scaligers as a granary, and trading shops were opened in the lower part. In the 16th century the house passed to the Mazzanti family. It was at this time that the facade received its current appearance.

During the history of Verona, the Mazzanti house was owned by several noble and powerful families. It was the site of important events for the city, such as the murder of Mastino della Scala. Initially, the house belonged to the della Scala family, an influential dynasty of Verona.

Mastino I della S., the founder of the greatness of his house, was elected podesta in Verona in 1260, became Capitano del popolo in 1262, expanded the possessions of Verona to the north and made it a refuge for the Ghibellines, ousted from the rest of Lombardy; accompanied Conradin on his campaign against Charles I of Anjou. In 1279, Mastino was killed due to private revenge in the passage between Piazza delle Erbe and the back of the building where the entrance is, a few steps from his house.

The house is on the other side.

There are wells in the lower part of the palace; they could be used without leaving the house. The wells are still working.

Staircase with iron
rails, which made it possible to lower the bucket directly from the house and collect water
Houses adjacent to the Mazzanti house.

Fountain "Our Lady of Verona"

There are few historical monumental fountains in Verona, and every tourist pays attention to the Madonna Verona Fountain in Piazza Erbe. The fountain received its name immediately after its creation in the Scaliger era, because it was dedicated to Verona.

The outstanding fountain Madonna Verona amazes with its age and elegance of composition; we must not forget that we are seeing a rare medieval fountain, and the Renaissance was still more than a hundred years old at the time of its construction. In fact, it was created using various elements from the Roman era and decorative decorations glorifying Verona.

Fountain of Our Lady of Verona, created in 1368 using an ancient Roman statue that had been on the site since the 1st century AD.

During the reign of Cansignorio Della Scala in 1368, the fountain was opened in the main square of the city, when a new water supply was installed in Verona from the Lori springs from the Avesa hills, 15 km from the city center. The only possible author of such a fountain in the 14th century could be Giovanni di Rigino, a sculptor known to us from many works in Verona.

The fountain's pool was made of marble by the Italian sculptor B. Campione. This is one of the most famous architectural monuments of the city, a property of the Scaliger era.

The pedestal on which the statue stands is surrounded by eight sculptures with water flowing from their masks.
It is believed that there was already a fountain at this place in ancient times, and it was decorated with the same statue. Female sculpture on the fountain is made of valuable Greek Pario marble and dates back to the 1st century AD. A statue from the Roman Forum of Verona, to which the sculptor attached a new head and arms; apparently they were no longer there by the 14th century. Indeed, from the side you can see the differences in the material and technique of these elements of the statue; even to the eye of an amateur, they are medieval and not distinguished by grace. Giovanni di Rigino created new hands and a head with a crown, and gave them a bronze ribbon with an inscription of praise to the city EST IVSTI LATRIX VRBS HAEC ET LAUDIS AMATRIX

(“This city, the bearer of truth, is worthy of praise”).

A large fountain bowl was found in the area Cathedral, where the Roman baths of the city were located, and probably also served in the baths, it dates back to the 2nd century. In the middle of the bowl there is a pedestal for the statue, on which there are eight bas-reliefs in the form of masks: four large and four small. They are made with extraordinary grace, inserted into the base as skillfully as valuable stones were inserted into jewelry and crowns.

During the restoration, interesting details of bas-relief masks and methods of constructing fountains in the Middle Ages were discovered. At the base of the fountain there are sectors and a bowl made of red Prun marble. The pedestal of the large bowl is also made of red Prun marble, in the middle of the bowl there is another base for a small bowl and a statue. It is made of pink marble from four interconnected parts.

The middle part of the base of the small bowl is almost a cylinder, decorated with four crowned heads, which are called masks. There were inscriptions on the crowns that are now almost indistinguishable. The letters allow you to identify the characters depicted.

On the upper part of the base of the small bowl of the fountain there are four more heads, this time made of valuable Greek marble from the island of Pario, similar to the marble of the statue on the fountain. On the south side it is clearly visible that the mask was built into an existing niche with a floral design carved into the marble.

Jets of water fall from the masks, water rises through a large inner cylinder covered with plates of copper and brass. This is how they created a water column, a column inside the fountain, which allows streams of water to come out with constant and strong pressure.

The colored marble of the fountain creates a chromatic effect that is beautiful in its simplicity - from red and pink to white with a light gray tint to the bright white Pario marble.

There is a sign according to which tourists visiting Verona throw a coin into the fountain. It is believed that this will bring good luck in business. The roots of this custom come from the times when many transactions were concluded by merchants near the famous fountain.

Aedicule "Berlin"

Aedicula (diminutive of Latin aedis house, temple, chapel), literally means a small house or temple.

In Roman architecture, aedicules were located in public buildings such as triumphal arches, city gates, temples

Currently, aedicules are found on tombstones in Catholic cemeteries. The most famous is the aedicule (in Orthodoxy Edicule), located inside the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem

The Aedicula is a 13th-century covered pavilion called "Berlina", once used for the ceremonial inauguration of each new ruler of Verona.

The severed heads of criminals were also put on public display here.

A chain with an opening ring made it possible to control the size of the fascine - that is, a bundle of brushwood that was traded in the square. Local units of length were also measured on the columns of the aedicule, and notches of a certain size were made on the steps, making it possible to control the dimensions of the building materials sold in the market here.

Gardello Tower

It is known that this tower was erected even before the reign of the Scaligerians, but in 1363, by order of Cansignorio della Scala, it was significantly rebuilt.

In 1421, construction of the dial and clock mechanism began. This was the first public mechanical clock in Verona, with which the whole city checked the time.

The tower is built of brick, its simple and austere architectural forms contrast with the nearby Baroque and Renaissance palaces.

The belfry is marked by double window openings and the roof is topped with large Ghibelline battlements. The bell placed in the belfry of the Gardello tower is also of great importance.

Bell from 1370 from the Gardello clock tower, Castelvecchio Museum

It was cast by the famous Verona master Maestro Jacopo, commissioned by the Scaliger rulers of Verona for the first clock tower in Europe (a Verona record!) in 1370, as evidenced by the plaque installed at the base of the tower.

In the Castelvecchio Museum we can see this masterpiece weighing about 2 tons, the diameter of the bell bowl is 130 cm.

Bells were made in different shapes, and the most optimal solutions were sought for the shape of the bell and the sound it makes. From 1200, the methods and techniques of bell casting began to spread, and by the 14th century, Venetians also appeared among the best foundries, working in Verona.

Since the 15th century, when Verona became part of the Venetian Republic, there have been no such famous bell foundries in Verona.

Torre del Lamberti

From the northeast of Verona's Piazza Erbe rises the Lamberti Tower, built into the 12th-century House of the Commune.

It was built in 1172 by the Verona Lamberti family, from whom it took its name, in the Romanesque style.

In May 1403, it was struck by lightning, which destroyed the upper part of the tower.

It was possible to repair the tower only in the second half of the century, and the reconstruction made it taller than the original building. The tower is currently 84 meters high, making it the most tall structure in Verona (in second place is the bell tower of the cathedral).

Areas corresponding to the two phases of the tower's construction are visible on its exterior due to the different materials used in different eras. At the bottom there are bricks and tuff blocks, then there are only bricks, and at the top there is marble.

There are 368 steps to the top of the Lamberti Tower. There is now an elevator to the first 243 steps

A large clock was installed on the tower in 1779. The towers also included two bells, Regno and Marangona; a small bell chimed the hours and announced a fire, and the ringing of a large one gathered people to meetings and announced the approach of the enemy.

The Rengo bell, the largest, gathered people for important celebrations and rang in cases of danger to the city, and the second Marangona chimed the working hours for artisans and rang the alarm in case of fires.

In this octagonal belfry at the very top there is still the old Rengo Bell. It weighs 4215 kg and is the second largest bell in Veneto. Only the Bell of the Verona Cathedral, which weighs 4566 kg, is larger than it. In third place in the Veneto region is the main Bell of San Marco in Venice (weight 3625 kg). The Marangona bell, together with two small bells, is located below Rengo, in the belfry of the base of the octagonal top of the Lamberti Tower.

You can visit the Lamberti Tower and take the elevator to its top, where you can enjoy wonderful panoramas of Verona.

At the top, from the belfries of Verona's highest bell tower, an unforgettable panorama of the historical city center and the surrounding area of ​​Verona opens.

The 84 meter high tower is visible from everywhere. Of course, it was not built for the needs of the city at all - the towers in the 12th century were reliable fortified houses of powerful families in the city. The higher the house and the more prestigious the location, the more significant the family. The lands around the former Roman Forum right in the heart of Verona were of course the most prestigious and expensive.

Tower-fortresses were built around, providing security to the owners in turbulent times of struggle for power and influence in the cities, internecine strife between the Guelphs and Gibbelins. In 1172, Boseno di Lamberto began to build his tower house nearby in Piazza Erbe, which at that time was called Big square, in the typical Romanesque style of architecture of that time. A few decades later, the House of the Commune was built around the Lamberti tower, and it became an integral part of this public building of the city.

Over the centuries, the tower was made higher, built on, and in 1295 the tower became the Lamberti Bell Tower.

The last restoration of Torre Lamberti ended in 2007. Since April 2014, the Lamberti Tower has been part of the museum complex of the House of the Commune with the Gallery of Paintings and Sculptures, where you can see the Chapel of the Notaries in the 12th century House of the Commune.

Until now, our Tower has retained its medieval structure, the strips of brick and white stone are Romanesque from the 12th century, the brick walls are from the 13th century, and the top is Venetian from the 15th century. Then, above the triple windows of the tower, the coats of arms of the governors of Venice - Podesta and the Captain of the city - were installed.

An octagonal capital was erected above the trifors of the tower, open on all sides with double biforated windows made of white stone.

Palazzo Maffei

5. Every tourist pays attention to the magnificent building on Erbe Square in the Baroque style - Maffei Palace. On this site there was a loggia and porticoes that belonged to the city, and at the beginning of the 17th century they were sold to the Maffei family.

In 1626, the brothers Marcantonio and Rolandino Maffei petitioned the City Council to build a house. No documentary evidence survives until 1653. Apparently, construction was suspended due to the plague epidemic in the city and its consequences in 1630.

Rolandino Maffei in 1653 confirms that "a few rooms are habitable, but it is necessary to connect them with the rest of the house." On February 15, 1663, the following document concerning this palace: a request for connection to the city water supply system.

In 1713, the traveler Volkamer wrote: “In Verona, in the main square, called Erbe, everyone sees magnificent palace Counts Maffei. On its flat roof there is a terrace with a beautiful garden, with flower beds, flowers and trees. I saw this garden with my own eyes during my stay in Italy since 1660.”

After the construction of the Palace, the subsequent owners of Maffei, of course, continued to decorate and expand their house. In 1696, Nicolo Maffei bought a house nearby for 2 thousand ducats and rebuilt it, joining it to the main building. Bottega shops are located at the bottom of the new building, and the owner’s apartments are located at the top.

The author of the Maffei Palace project is unknown to us. Scipione Maffei, from one branch of the Maffei family, studied the family archives in the 18th century and claimed that the design was brought from Rome. The connections of the Maffei family with the famous Roman Urbe family are indirectly confirmed.

The architecture of the building differs from all the buildings in Verona of that time; an element of repeating modules is used, which create the scenographic effect of the facade overlooking Erbe Square. Such a pompous façade of the Baroque Palace emphasized the splendor and power of the Maffei family.

The first floor is formed by a series of rusticated arches, there are five of them, with the entrance to the courtyard in the fourth arch, and not in the middle. The first floor is intended for botteg shops, since the façade of the building faces the Erbe shopping area. At this place, already under Count Rolandino Maffei, from July 13, 1691, “the merchants of Verona united shops and, following the model of the Ponte Rialto in Venice, traded in the courtyard of the Palace, under the porticoes and in the arches in the spring and summer. In the fall and spring they went upstairs to the second floor salon.”

The second floor on the facade is represented by five large windows, decorated at the top with alternating pediments - triangular and rounded. The windows are separated by Ionic semi-columns supporting a cornice along the entire façade. On the top floor of the building, the windows are smaller and face a balustrade along the entire façade. All this is richly decorated with a frieze with bas-reliefs and plant motifs.

At the top there is a balustrade and statues of six gods from Olympus. Minerva, Neptune, Apollo, Venus and Jupiter are made of local stone, and the statue of Hercules is made of dazzling white marble. The only statue is created from ancient marble found under the foundation during the construction of the building. The pedestal made of Pario marble (an island in the Aegean Sea) became a statue of Hercules. Now we know that in the Roman era this place was the main temple of the city of the Capitol, and it was the valuable pario marble from the Capitol that was discovered in the 17th century.

JUPITER

MINERVA

MERCURY

APOLLO (who, however, is not a Roman, but a Greek god)

VENUS

HERCULES

Ground floor plan of the Maffei Palace

An interesting staircase was built inside the Maffei Palace, this is how Scipione Maffei described it: “the staircase leads from the basements to the roof of the house, and is arranged in a spiral, like a shell, in order to save internal space.

Despite this, it turned out to be noble and spacious, it all floats in the air.” Built entirely of stone, the spiral staircase has no vertical support, runs through the entire building from the bottom up from the basements to the roof garden and is “self-supporting.”

The historian Da Persico wrote in a guide to Verona in 1820 that “Sanmicheli created many staircases of this shape, but they all had a vertical support in the middle. This same staircase has no support, and causes surprise among all architects, especially European ones, who saw it.”

In Verona, this is not the only Palace of the Maffei family, in total there are five Palaces of this family, wealthy bankers, in the city, because three branches of this family lived in the city. The Maffei families had several villas in the province, such as Villa Maffei Sigurt.

Palace ceiling

You can also see the interiors here: http://www.travel.ru/hotel/italy/verona/palazzo_maffei/?in=02/25/2016&out=02/26/2016&hid=568628&occ=2

Top floor. Balustrade along the entire façade

View from the palace windows

Currently there is a hotel here.

Column of St. Mark

The Column of St. Mark adorns the Piazza del Erbe opposite the Maffei Palace in the city of Verona.

Since Verona became part of the Venetian Republic in 1505, the symbol of the metropolis, the Lion of St. Mark, was, of course, installed on the main square:

It was erected in the 16th century. on a marble column by Michele Leoni (isn't that a suitable surname for this monument?). During the Napoleonic Wars it was knocked down and reinstalled in the 19th century.


It is crowned with the symbol of Venice and the former Venetian Republic - a winged lion depicting St. Mark.

The white marble column was installed in 1523, when Verona was part of the Venetian Republic.

The winged lion with an open book was designed by Michele Leoni. According to the observations of historians, the open book testified to the peaceful situation in the cities. Unfortunately, with the fall of the Venetian Republic in 1797, the original sculpture was destroyed. Therefore, in 1866 the column was decorated with a new lion.

"Ancient Column"

In the southern part of the square there is the so-called “ancient column”. This is a small Gothic column with an aedicule, erected in 1401 and containing the coat of arms of the Visconti family of Milan, which ruled Verona at that time.

In the niche you can see a relief image of the figures of the Mother of God and Saints Christopher and Peter the Martyr.

Monument to the Victims of 1915.

Between Via Pellicciai and Piazza delle Erbe there is a small 14th century square called Novembre, where a monument to the Victims of 1915 is erected.

Statue of a woman pointing her sword at the sky. This monument commemorates the tragic incident of the First World War. On November 14, 1915, an Austrian airplane fired at historical Center city, hitting many civilians in the market.

The people of Verona never forgot about this barbaric attack on unarmed and defenseless people. On November 14, 1920 this statue was installed. The female figure symbolizes a city that mourns but is not defeated.

Currently, the souvenir market is bustling in the Herb Square.

IN close proximity from Piazza delle Erbe there is another economic and political center of ancient Verona - PIAZZA dei SIGNORI.
The passage leading from the Place des Traves to the Place des Seigneurs.

Piazza delle Erbe, whose name means “square of herbs” in Italian, is the oldest square in Verona, located on the site of an ancient Roman forum. In the era of Ancient Rome, it was the center of the political and economic life of the city.

In the center stands the fountain of the Madonna di Verona, erected in 1368 by order of Cansignorio della Scala, for which a Roman statue from the late 4th century was used. Nowadays she depicts the Virgin Mary. Here you can also see the 13th century aedicule - a small building in which the head of the city administration (podestà) took office. Today this aedicule is called “Berlina”.

On all sides, the rectangular Piazza delle Erbe is surrounded by buildings built in different historical periods and which have become tourist attractions. Here you can see the Gothic House of Merchants, which housed professional corporations in the Middle Ages. In 1301, an arched loggia was built next to it, and in the 19th century, after restoration, Gibbelin battlements appeared on the house. Today it houses the People's Bank of Verona. Nearby stands the medieval Palazzo Maffei - a luxurious building with statues of ancient deities: Jupiter, Apollo, Venus, Minerva, Mercury and Hercules. And in front of the Baroque palace stands a column with a winged lion - the symbol of the Venetian Republic, which dominated here for four centuries. The Palazzo is adjacent to the Del Gardello Tower, built in 1370. Another interesting building is the Mazzanti House, whose façade was decorated with frescoes in the 16th century. Finally, it is worth paying attention to the Lamberti Tower, built in 1172. This 83-meter tower is popularly known as the “tower of bells” because the Regno and Maragon bells were installed on it in the mid-15th century. Other buildings in the square include the ancient Palazzo del Comune and the Giudici House.