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After visiting Piazza Duomo in the historic city center of Padua, we backtracked to Piazza dei Signori. It’s included in the UNESCO World Heritage listing for Padua’s 14th century fresco cycles.
Piazza del Signori was developed in the 14th century. Historically, it was the scene of celebrations and tournaments.
Clock Tower
On the west end of the square is the Clock Tower (Torre dell’Orologio), which was built in 1428. It contains the oldest astronomical clock of its kind in the world. On one side of the tower is the 16th century Palazzo del Capitanio and on the other is the 17th century Palazzo dei Camerlenghi, which are identical buildings.
Column
In front of the clock tower is a column topped by the Lion of St. Mark. The original was destroyed by Napoleon’s troops in 1797 while the current statue was sculpted in 1870.
Council Lodge
On the south side of Piazza dei Signori is the Council Lodge (Loggia del Consiglio), also known as the Lodge of the Gran Guardia (Loggia della Gran Guardia). It was built between 1496 and 1553 as the headquarters of the Grand Council. During Austrian rule, it was the headquarters of the military command, or Grand Guardia.
Church of San Clemente
Finally, on the east side of the square is the Church of San Clemente (Chiesa di San Clemente), a church dating back to at least 1190.
Moving on…
We had a nice lunch on the square before continuing on to the Palazzo della Ragione.
