While tourists head to Piazza Brà to see the Verona Arena, Italians make their way to see the oldest and most beloved square in Italy, Piazza Erbe. In fact, that’s how I first stumbled on our Italy Pic of the Day, Piazza delle Erbe.
We had been standing in Palazzo di Cansignorio (Palace of Cansignorio) when I spotted an elderly woman, cane in hand, walking towards what looked like a dark alleyway. If you watch this video for just the first few seconds, you’ll see her!
Video & Photos of Piazza delle Erba in Verona, Italy
I was so captivated watching her, I nearly lost sight of my own Italian, Paolo. Quickly ducking into the alley, I saw a crowded market ahead. I wasn’t expecting much, but then…
Verona opened her heart to me. She showed me her frescos. Soon the clouds broke and the crowded market faded away.
During the day food and hat vendors line the market. Come time for aperitivo the square takes on a Spritz buzz. Be it for the locals at the market, the architecture, Fontana Madonna Verona (which dates back to 380) or the Colonna di San Marco, delle Erbe is always full of life.
It’s no wonder year after year, international travel press continually recommends Piazza della Erba more than any other square in Italy.
Once the site of the ancient Roman forum, today the piazza, ringed with medieval and Renaissance architecture, might just be Italy’s most stunning. During the day, a market sells produce, souvenirs and clothes; at aperitivo hour, youths (and tourists) pack the piazza’s cafes and bars. Leave the square via the Arco della Costa, with its hanging whale rib (legend says the bone will fall on the first person to pass under it who has never told a lie) to take a peek at the Arche Scaligeri, among Italy’s most elaborate gothic funerary monuments.
The Guardian
As I made my way towards Colonna di San Marco Piazza, Paolo told me where we were.
Paolo: “Piccola this is Piazza delle Erba and that (he said pointing up) is the Lion of Saint Mark.”
Me: “Wait Piazza Erba? Doesn’t that mean Grass Square.”
Paolo: “Sì”
Is it just me, or does everything sound more romantic in Italian?
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Tomorrow I’ll share a quick Italy 101 tip, Why Eggs are Not Refrigerated in Europe, then Friday, I’ll be back with another quick, but beautiful, Italy Pic of the Day post from the Veneto wine region and Verona!
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