Piazza delle Erbe (Italian: Piazza delle Erbe - “square of herbs”) is
a square in the city of Verona (Italy), located on the site of the
ancient forum.
The rectangular square is framed by buildings from
different eras:
Domus Mercatorum (Italian: Domus Mercatorum - House
of Merchants) is 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.
Maffei Palace (Italian:
Palazzo Maffei) is a Baroque building built on the site of a
13th-century building. The balustrade is decorated with statues of
ancient deities: Jupiter, Apollo, Venus, Minerva, Mercury and Hercules.
In front of the palace there is a marble column topped with a winged
lion - the symbol of Venice, under whose rule the city was for 400
years.
The Torre del Gardello (Clock Tower) is adjacent to the Maffei
Palace. Built in 1370 at the direction of Cansignorio della Scala. In
1626, an attic with Ghibelline battlements was erected over it.
House
Mazzanti - the facade of the building in the 16th century was painted
with frescoes of mythological subjects.
Lamberti Tower is 83 meters
high. Built in 1172 by the Verona Lamberti family, from whom it took its
name. It is also known as the “Tower of the Bells” due to the bells of
Regno and Marangona installed on it in 1464.
In the center of the
square is the fountain of the Verona Madonna. It was erected in 1368 at
the direction of Cansignorio della Scala. For the figure of the Virgin
Mary, a Roman statue dating back to 380 was used.
In the square
there is an aedicule called "Berlina" (13th century), which was used for
the ceremonial inauguration of the podesta.
The northern side is occupied by the ancient Palazzo del Comune,
Torre dei Lamberti, Casa dei Giudici and Mazzanti houses.
The
western side, shorter, is closed by the baroque Palazzo Maffei,
decorated with various statues of the Greek gods: Jupiter, Hercules,
Minerva, Venus, Mercury and Apollo.
The northwestern part of the
square was the square of the Roman Capitol, facing the Forum. Remains of
frescoes have been preserved in many houses.
Along the south side
is the Casa dei Mercanti or Domus Mercatorum, once the headquarters of
the Banca Popolare di Verona. Other houses, more anonymous, in terms of
the ratio of height and width resemble the tower houses of municipal
origin.
Between 1884 and 1951 the square was affected by the
city's tram network.
The oldest monument in the square is a fountain surmounted by a
Roman-era statue of the Madonna of Verona (dated 380) with later
medieval additions. The fountain is a work of reckoning commissioned by
Cansignorio by assembling objects from the Roman era according to the
medieval tradition, in particular in the Gothic period, with a large
thermal bath and a statue from the Capitol, which was once said to have
been gilded, on the occasion of the hydraulic work Cansignorio for the
delivery of water from the Lori di Avesa stream to Erbe Square. The
statue is adorned with a scroll in its hands and bears the old motto of
the municipality, which reads: "To this city, which is the bearer of
justice and the lover of praise."
Another historical monument is
the capital Tribuna. It dates from around the 13th century, a period
when it was used for various social occasions: in particular, the mayors
sat under it for the installation ceremony, and it was here that the
praetors took the oath.
On Via Cappello stands an ancient column
topped with a fourteenth-century aedicule, in whose niches the figures
of the Virgin and Saints Zeno, Pietro Martire and Cristoforo are carved
in relief.
On the other hand, a magnificent white marble column
in front of the Palazzo Maffei depicts the Lion of San Marco, the symbol
of the Venetian Republic.