It’s nice to be surprised when you explore a new destination, and Verona surprised me. It’s a fabulous city to visit! There’s so many interesting sites to see in Verona, some of which we’ve featured on this website. One of the most popular spots is Piazza delle Erbe (“Market Square” or “Square of Herbs”), which we’ll explore today.
This square originated in the 1st century BC and in Roman times was the central square of Verona – the forum Romanum – where the economic and political life of Verona occurred. After the collapse of the Roman Empire, the square changed, losing more than half of its space, but the Piazza has remained an important gathering place.
People come to the Piazza delle Erbe to eat, shop, get a drink, and sightsee. Many restaurants have their tables on the surrounding streets and in the middle of the square, so the place is crowded, but this just adds to the atmosphere. It’s still a busy market square but no longer mostly a place to buy herbs.
Here are some of the important sights of the Piazza del Herbe:
Venetians created the Colona di San Marco (a high column) in front of their palace to symbolize Venice’s power. It’s capped by the winged lion of Venice.
The northern side of the square features the Lamberti Tower, an impressive 84 meter high which dominates the square. Construction on it began in the 12th century.
Located in the center of the piazza is the Tribuna, a 16th-century elevated canopy that allowed the market supervisor an unobstructed view. Anyone found guilty of a crime was chained to the Tribuna and forced to face the public’s outrage. The Tribuna was where new legislation and notices were declared.
(The Tribuna)
The Fontana di Madonna Verona is a lovely fountain and the oldest feature of the square, the central figure being a Roman sculpture dating to 380 AD. The sculpture holds a banner celebrating Verona’s beauty.
Once you’ve taken in the historic landmarks be sure to look around. The Piazza is a place to people watch, perhaps do a little shopping, and take in the atmosphere.
We found relatively few food vendors in the Piazza, but they were selling appealing produce and other food items….
I’ve never seen a more colorful display of pasta than at this market. It almost looked like candy….
There are vendors selling an assortment of other items, like leather goods, figurines and souvenirs.
We had dinner at a restaurant adjoining the Piazza del Erbe, which was excellent. Unfortunately, I can’t remember its name.
