The Piazza or Piazzetta dell'Indipendenza is located just north of Piazza del Campo in the Terzo di Camollia in the city of

Siena Siena ( , ; lat, Sena Iulia) is a city in Tuscany, Italy. It is the capital of the province of Siena. The city is historically linked to commercial and banking activities, having been a major banking center until the 13th and 14th centuri ...

, region of Tuscany, Italy. It is located centrally at the intersection of Via delle Terme and dei Termini, about two blocks Northwest of the

Piazza del Campo Piazza del Campo is the main public space of the historic center of Siena, Tuscany, Italy and is regarded as one of Europe's greatest medieval squares. It is renowned worldwide for its beauty and architectural integrity. The Palazzo Pubblico and i ...

History

The Piazza was only formalized in the 19th century with the addition of a tall loggia (1887) designed by

Archimede Vestri Archimede Vestri (1846–1904) was an Italian patriot and architect, born in Siena. Along with his father, Giovanni, and his sister, Baldovina Vestri, they were forced to flee Siena and their home, Palazzo Vestri, in 1849. Baldovina was a well-kno ...

. Behind the loggia is screened the medieval Palazzo Ballati with its tall crenelated tower. In number 15 Piazza Indipendenza is the Teatro dei Rozzi designed in 1816 by Alessandro Doveri and enlarged in 1874. The piazza itself was enlarged in the early 19th century by demolition of the church of San Pellegrino; hence it was previously called Piazza San Pellegrino. In 1875, a monument for the fallen in the wars of Italian Independence was commissioned by the Province of Siena from Tito Sarrochi to stand in front of the Loggia. The completed statue depicts an allegory of Italy as a woman holding a scepter in the left arm and a wreath in the right, about to lay the wreath upon a dying lion at its feet, with a crown strewn on the ground. The base of the statue states “Ai prodi senesi per me caduti” and was inaugurated in 1879. The statue was contentious since its installation, in part because the dying lion was felt to be inauspicious for a nascent nation, or perhaps anti-royal or anti-Florentine inferences could be drawn from the elements of the fallen lion and crown. Ultimately, after extensive debate, the statue was moved to a small forlorn park in San Prospero between via Fruschelli and via Pannilunghi. There is more parking now in the Piazza Indipendenza.Il Monumento ai Caduti dell’Indipendenza di Tito Sarrocchi
article 3 February 2016 in Siena News by Maura Martellucci e Roberto Cresti.

Bibliografia

*''Toscana. Guida d'Italia'' (Guida rossa), Touring Club Italiano, Milano 2003. *Derived in part from Italian Wikipedia.

References

{{Reflist Buildings and structures in Siena Loggias in Italy Buildings and structures completed in 1887