Landmark
Piazza delle Erbe
Verona · Veneto
QUICK INFORMATION
- CATEGORY
- Landmark
- COUNTRY
- Italy
- REGION
- Verona · Veneto
- DURATION
- 1 day
ABOUT THIS ATTRACTION
The Piazza delle Erbe is the oldest square in Verona, the Roman forum on which the medieval city was built, and still its living heart. A long rectangle of market stalls, frescoed houses and cafés, it holds the medieval town hall (the Casa dei Giudici), the 14th-century Torre dei Lamberti that can be climbed, the Madonna Verona fountain, and the painted façades of the Mazzanti houses. It has been the market square of Verona for two thousand years, and the morning produce stalls and the evening café tables keep it as busy now as it has ever been.
HISTORY & BACKGROUND
The story behind it
The Piazza delle Erbe was the forum of Roman Verona, the open centre of the grid plan, and it remained the market and meeting place of the city through the medieval and Renaissance periods. The buildings around it date from various centuries: the Casa dei Giudici (the judges’ house) is medieval, the Mazzanti houses were frescoed in the 16th century, the baroque Palazzo Maffei on the west side was built in 1668, and the central Madonna Verona fountain is a Roman statue set on a 14th-century base. The Torre dei Lamberti, the tallest tower on the square, was begun in 1172 and raised to its present 84 metres in 1463.
WHAT TO SEE
What to see here
The market stalls — the morning produce and the daytime souvenir stalls, the square’s continuous life for two millennia.
The Torre dei Lamberti — the 84-metre medieval tower, climbable by stairs or lift for the view over the old town.
The frescoed Mazzanti houses — the 16th-century painted façades on the south side of the square.
The Madonna Verona fountain — the Roman statue on a 14th-century base at the centre of the square.
The Palazzo Maffei — the baroque palace on the west side, with its statues of gods on the roof.
WHY IT MATTERS
Why it matters
The Piazza delle Erbe is the square that has held Verona together for two thousand years — the Roman forum that became the medieval market that became the modern meeting place. Few squares in Italy show so continuous a life, and the layering of Roman, medieval, Renaissance and baroque around a single market is what makes it work. For a visitor, it is the square to come back to at different times of day, because it changes from market to café to evening passeggiata.
PRACTICAL INFORMATION
Before you go
MAP & LOCATION
Piazza delle Erbe
Piazza delle Erbe, Verona, Veneto, Italy
45.4381, 10.9947
MORE ATTRACTIONS
More to see in Verona
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THINGS TO DO
Things to do nearby
FOOD & DRINK
Where to eat nearby
Osteria al Duca — a historic osteria near the Piazza delle Erbe for classic Veronese cooking
Trattoria al Pompiere — a relaxed trattoria near the Piazza delle Erbe, known for its cured meats and local wines
Antica Bottega del Vino — a 19th-century wine bar with 100 wines by the glass and a long Veronese menu
Ristorante Greppia — a refined Veronese restaurant near the Arena, the place for risotto all’Amarone
Osteria Sottoriva — a riverside osteria under the arcades, honest cooking and a local crowd
HOTELS & STAYS
Where to stay nearby
Due Torri Hotel — a historic hotel in a medieval palace beside the Arena, with frescoed rooms
Hotel Milano & Spa — a stylish hotel near the Arena with a spa and a rooftop bar
Hotel Antica Porta Leona — a boutique hotel in a Roman-era building near the Arena
Hotel Colomba d’Oro — a hotel in a medieval convent near the Piazza delle Erbe, good value for a central base
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