Piazza della Loggia

The piazza was built in 1400 on top of an old medieval market, to create a civil center separate from the religious area of the nearby Piazza del Duomo and to give power to the Serenissima Republic of Venice. This was also underlined by the Venetian and Palladian aspect of the buildings. The piazza was only completed in the 1600s and in this lapse of time, a remarkable unity of style was preserved, which allowed the Piazza della Loggia to become one of the most beautiful examples of Renaissance architectural harmony. The main building of the piazza is the Loggia, with the 16th-century Palazzo notable on the right and on the left, the 15th-century house of Vender. The southern side of the square is defined by the Monte Vecchio and Monte Nuovo palaces (1484 and 1497 respectively), while the square is closed off on the east side by a building that was completed in 1595. Opposite the town hall is the clock tower (1540). In the arch under the clock, a marble stele remembers those who died in a terrorist attack in 1974.