Piazza delle Erbe, Verona

In our wanderings we came across Piazza delle Erbe, which was once the town's forum during the time of the Roman Empire. This plaza was buzzing with the centre filled with markets surrounded by cafes and restaurants. It has a real vibe about it and the surrounding buildings were beautiful.

The square is surrounded by the ancient town hall, the Torre dei Lamberti, the Casa dei Giudici ("Judges' Hall") and the frescoed Mazzanti Houses. There is the Baroque Palazzo Maffei, decorated by statues of Greek gods, faced by a white marble column, on which is St. Mark's Lion, symbol of the Republic of Venice. On another side is the site of the ancient Roman Capitol Hill, which looked towards the forum. Many of the buildings facing the square have maintained façade frescoes, while other buildings, the tall houses of the Ghetto, are reminiscent of medieval tower-houses.

The square's most ancient monument is the fountain, built in 1368, surmounted by a statue called Madonna Verona, which is however a Roman sculpture dating to 380 AD. It was so hot even the dogs were sitting in the fountain to cool down.

Also in the square is the medieval Arco della Costa, Arch of the Rib. A whale rib has been mysteriously suspended from the arch since at least the 1700s, though some estimates suggest much longer, possible since the 15th century. And with Verona located about 120 km from the sea, no one is quite sure how it got there. The arch is the entry point between Piazza Erbe and Piazza dei Signori.

In the Middle Ages and Renaissance era, the walkway above the arch provided a safe passage for judges and magistrates between the city hall and their living quarters, so that they needn’t associate with the common or “corrupt” people below. This may be the ironic origin of the myth of the whalebone’s magic: It’s claimed that it will fall on the first innocent or truthful person to walk under the archway. Yet another interesting sight to see and a great story to go with it.

There was so much to see and photograph here, and it was a great place to sit and enjoy a cup of delicious fruit for our lunch (a nice change from pasta and pizza - not that we haven't been enjoying that). It was a nice break to sit back and watch the world go by.Read more