Piazza Dante description and photos - Italy: Grosseto (Topic)

Piazza Dante description and photos - Italy: Grosseto. Detailed information about the attraction. Description, photographs and a map showing the nearest significant objects. The title in English is Piazza Dante.

Photo and description

Piazza Dante is the main square of the city of Grosseto, where important public institutions are located. The square has a traditional trapezoid shape. It was founded in the 13-14th centuries, and consists of two areas connected to each other.

The main part of the square is bounded by the south side of the Cathedral of San Lorenzo, the main facade of the Palazzo Aldobrandeschi and the covered gallery. In the center of this slightly raised part stands the Monumento a Canapone, a monument to the Grand Duke of Tuscany Leopold II. The elevation of the square is explained by the fact that in the past there was a cistern under it that provided the city with water, and a well stood on the site of the monument. The area under which the tank is located is marked with a series of columns and chains, which the inhabitants of Grosseto set to designate Piazza delle Catene - this part of Piazza Dante.

Another part of Piazza Dante, smaller in size, stretches between the Cathedral, Palazzo Comunale, built in 1867 on the site where the Church of San Giovanni Decollato once stood, and Palazzo Alben, erected in the 20th century. The last building with its covered gallery was built immediately after the fall of the fascist regime on the site of the ancient Palazzo dei Priori, of which only fragments have survived.

At the northern end of Piazza Dante begins Corso Carducci, the main street in the historic center of Grosseto, which leads to Porta Nuova, the gateway to the Medici Wall. And at the southeastern end of the square, Strada Ricasoli begins, going to Piazza del Sale, stretched out in front of other medieval gates - Porta Vecchia.

The Roman column standing at the right corner of the Cathedral deserves special attention - from the Middle Ages up to the middle of the 19th century, it stood in the southern part of the square.

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Topic: Piazza Dante description and photos - Italy: Grosseto.