Piazza delle Erbe (Market's square) is a square in

Verona Verona ( ; ; or ) is a city on the Adige, River Adige in Veneto, Italy, with 255,131 inhabitants. It is one of the seven provincial capitals of the region, and is the largest city Comune, municipality in the region and in Northeast Italy, nor ...

, northern Italy. It was once the town's

forum Forum or The Forum may refer to: Common uses *Forum (legal), designated space for public expression in the United States *Forum (Roman), open public space within a Roman city **Roman Forum, most famous example * Internet forum, discussion board ...

during the time of the

Roman Empire The Roman Empire ruled the Mediterranean and much of Europe, Western Asia and North Africa. The Roman people, Romans conquered most of this during the Roman Republic, Republic, and it was ruled by emperors following Octavian's assumption of ...

Description

The northern side of the square is occupied by the ancient town hall, the Torre dei Lamberti, the ''Casa dei Giudici'' ("Judges' Hall") and the frescoed Mazzanti Houses. The western side, the shortest one, features the Baroque Palazzo Maffei, decorated by statues of Greek gods. It is faced by a white marble column, on which is

St. Mark's Lion The Lion of Saint Mark, representing Mark the Evangelist, pictured in the form of a winged lion, is an aspect of the Tetramorph#The four evangelists as four living creatures, Tetramorph. On the pinnacle of St Mark's Basilica, St Mark's Cathedr ...

, symbol of the

Republic of Venice The Republic of Venice, officially the Most Serene Republic of Venice and traditionally known as La Serenissima, was a sovereign state and Maritime republics, maritime republic with its capital in Venice. Founded, according to tradition, in 697 ...

. The north-western side occupies the site of the ancient Roman Capitol Hill, which looked towards the forum. Numerous of its buildings facing the square have maintained façade frescoes. On the southern side is the crenellated ''

Casa dei Mercanti The Domus Mercatorum or Casa dei Mercanti is a medieval edifice at Piazza delle Erbe, Verona, Piazza delle Erbe in Verona, northern Italy. During the Middle Ages it was home to the Casa dei Mercanti, the guild of the city's merchants, while today ...

'' ("House of the Merchants", also known as ''Domus Mercatorum''), now the seat of the Banca Popolare di Verona. 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 by Cansignorio della Scala), surmounted by a statue called ''Madonna Verona'', which is however a Roman sculpture dating to 380 AD. Also historical is the '' capitello'', dating to the 13th century, during which it was used for several ceremonies, including the oath of investment of the city's medieval

podestà (), also potestate or podesta in English, was the name given to the holder of the highest civil office in the government of the cities of central and northern Italy during the Late Middle Ages. Sometimes, it meant the chief magistrate of a c ...

and pretors. Towards Via Cappello is another column, with a 14th-century

aedicula In religion in ancient Rome, ancient Roman religion, an ''aedicula'' (: ''aediculae'') is a small shrine, and in classical architecture refers to a Niche (architecture), niche covered by a pediment or entablature supported by a pair of columns an ...

with reliefs of the Virgin and the Saints Zeno, Peter and Christopher. PalazzoRagioneVR2.jpg, Torre dei Lamberti Piazza delle Erbe.JPG Verona-piazza delle erbe02.jpg, View of the square. Piazza delle Erbe - Palazzo Maffei (Verona).jpg, North part of the square, with Palazzo Maffei Piazza Erbe Verona.jpg, The fountain of Piazza delle Erbe. 17dic2013 Verona night christmas photo Paolo Villa IMGP1607 (square piazza Erbe, fontana madonna Verona).JPG, Christmas night with Fountain Madonna Verona (Roman sculpture dating to 380 AD)

Buildings around the square

* Palazzo Maffei * Torre dei Lamberti *

{{commons category, Piazza delle Erbe (Verona) Erbe, Piazza delle