Amidst wonderful monuments, baroque fountains, Italian ruins, and old churches, the piazzas of Italy are certainly the best way to get to know the life and history of the city. Every Italian piazza has several commonalities: their civic and symbolic importance, they’re the physical center of the communit,y and also being the main outdoor theater. The piazza is the home to the most important political buildings, the main cathedral, cafes, restaurants, and sometimes monuments or fountains. There’s no better place to people-watch in Italy than in a piazza. Among the countless piazzas, we have chosen the Top 10 Most Iconic Piazzas in Italy.
1) Piazza del Duomo of Milan
A stunning cathedral square that is equally renowned the world over is the Piazza del Duomo of the city of Milan. It is home to the Milan Cathedral, the fifth-largest cathedral in the world. The Gothic-style church took almost six centuries to build. They laid the first stone in 1386 and inaugurated the last gate only in 1965. Other important buildings around the piazza include the Palazzo Reale di Milano (the royal palace), which is now an important cultural center. Another one is the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele, completed in 1877, and is today one of the oldest shopping malls in the world.
Although the piazza’s current look largely dates back to 1860, the open space itself has been around since 1330. The lord of Milan, Azzone Visconti, ordered the creation of a market square, which first became known as the Piazza dell’Arengo. They redesigned the square several times over the centuries. In 1860, the city government launched a competition for the redesign of the piazza in celebration of the unification of Italy into a single kingdom. The architect Giuseppe Mengoni won a contest.
2) Piazza Navona, Rome
There are just so many piazzas in Rome that it is hard not to include this magical destination on the list. The Piazza Navona is arguably the most beautiful city square in Rome and one of the most important in terms of history and heritage. The piazza is popular for its classic architectural treasures designed in the Baroque Roman tradition. These include the Palazzo Pamphilj and the Church of Sant’Agnese in Agone, both of which were built in the 17th century. It is also home to the famous Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi or Fountain of Four Rivers. Built in 1651, it represents four rivers in four continents, namely Africa’s Nile River, Europe’s Danube, Asia’s River Ganges, and the Americas’ Río de la Plata.
The present site of the piazza sits over the interior arena of the ancient Stadium of Domitian. Emperor Domitian commissioned it in 80 BCE for the staging of agones or games. This is why the piazza still follows the stadium’s shape, while the stadium’s original lower arcades are integrated into parts of the buildings that now surround the square.
3) Piazza San Marco, Venice
History says Napoleon called St. Mark’s Square “the finest drawing room in Europe.” Saint Mark’s Square itself is grand and beautiful, but nestled between the Doge’s Palace and Biblioteca Marciana lies this pretty little square. It has views out to the lagoon and enormous pillars. At the top are the statues of the symbols of Venice: the lion and Saint Teodora of Amasea.
The piazza, having more than a 1,200-year-old history alone, makes it one of the most culturally and historically significant sites in Italy. Furthermore, the landmarks surrounding it, the 900-year-old Italo-Byzantine St. Mark’s Basilica and its prominent campanile (bell tower), the Grand Canal, the Palazzo Ducale, plus the entire ancient city of Venice itself and its famous lagoon, make visiting Piazza San Marco all the more special.
4) Piazza San Pietro, Rome
Originally, the prominent features of the open space in front of St. Peter’s Basilica were only the four-thousand-year-old Egyptian obelisk, from 1568, and a Carlo Maderno fountain, from 1613. Between the years 1656 to 1667, however, Pope Alexander VII commissioned architect Gian Lorenzo Bernini to redesign the space and turn it into the modern piazza we know at present. Today, gigantic Doric-style colonnades surround the square. Bernini’s purpose was to create a space to welcome visitors into the open arms of Christendom.
5) Piazza dei Miracoli, Pisa
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Pisa’s Piazza del Duomo (cathedral square) is formally the Piazza dei Miracoli. It is one of Italy’s best public squares, thanks in large part to the world-famous monuments found within. The buildings and lush green lawns form a striking contrast of green with the brilliant white of Pisan Romanesque architecture.
The walled complex houses the Baptistery of Pisa, the Camposanto Monumentale, and, of course, the Cathedral of Pisa and its distinctive bell tower, more commonly known as the Leaning Tower of Pisa. The square, whose construction began in the 11th century, is one of the most extraordinary medieval public squares in Europe. In 1987, the entire square and its buildings were included in the UNESCO World Heritage List with other UNESCO sites in Italy.
6) Piazza del Campo, Siena
The Piazza del Campo stands at the meeting point of three hillside settlements that came together to form the town of Siena. The square is adjacent to the Palazzo Pubblico (town hall), built in 1297, and to the Torre del Mangia, a bell tower which, at 289 feet, became one of the tallest Medieval towers in Italy in 1348.
Before the 13th century, the site where the Piazza del Campo now stands was a simple open marketplace. In 1349, it was paved with red brick to form a shell-shaped public space with nine divisions that fan out from a central water drain known as gavinone. Today, it remains an important part of Sienese culture, serving as host to the Palio di Siena, a traditional horse race that dates back to 1656.
7) Piazza del Duomo of Florence
At the beating heart of Florence’s historic center lies the Piazza del Duomo. It is an exceptional collection of works of art and architecture. One of the architectural jewels that surrounds the square is the magnificent Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore (Basilica of Saint Mary of the Flower). Arnolfo di Cambio designed its Gothic exterior. Filippo Brunelleschi engineered the famous dome.
Standing near this cathedral is its 278-foot Florentine Gothic campanile, 1334. We all know Giotto designed it. Across the church also stands the Battistero di San Giovanni (Baptistry of St. John). It was constructed between 1059 and 1128. The piazza is part of the city’s historic center, which was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1982. Today, it is one of the most visited places in both Europe and the world.
8) Piazza Maggiore, Bologna
Like most piazzas in Italy, the Piazza Maggiore in Bologna started out as a simple marketplace where people gathered and important town events happened. During the Middle Ages, the city government imagined a more organized city square in which to group important buildings. Thus, the construction of the new square began in the 13th century. The current square has buildings in Gothic and Renaissance style.
The oldest of these is the Palazzo del Podestà. Completed in 1200, it once housed the podestà or local public officials of the municipality. Other structures include: the Palazzo d’Accursio (built in the 13th century); the Palazzo dei Notai (first built in 1381); the Palazzo dei Banchi (first built in 1412); and the Basilica of San Petronio. This is an unfinished church that is now the fifteenth largest in the world.
9) Piazza di Trevi, Rome
One of the most popular squares in all of Italy is famous for its majestic fountain. The Trevi Fountain is the most beautiful in Rome. It measures approximately 20 meters wide by 26 meters high. The Trevi Fountain is also the largest in the city. The origins of the fountain date back to the year 19 BC, when the fountain concluded the Aqua Virgo aqueduct. The first fountain was built during the Renaissance. After many years of work by Nicola Salvi, Giuseppe Pannini completed it in 1762.
10) Piazza della Signoria, Florence
Piazza della Signoria was the political center of Florence. Since the 14th century, when the homes of the most prominent families had to make way for the new square. It was the center of ceremonial events, gatherings, and festivals. Here you will find several iconic tourist attractions of Florence: Palazzo Vecchio, the Fountain of Neptune, the Uffizi Gallery, the Loggia dei Lanzi, and copies of statues by Michelangelo and Donatello.
The square was crowded long before the Renaissance palace made it the seat of government. Excavations in the 1980s date back to Roman times. They found earlier artifacts from the Etruscan period and even the Bronze Age. This is the heart of the city for Florentines. Although its cafes and restaurants are usually packed with tourists, Piazza della Signoria is one of the best places to visit in Florence.