Description of the attraction
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 zones connected to each other.
The main part of the square is bounded by the south side of the Cathedral of San Lorenzo, the main façade of 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 cistern is located is marked with a series of columns and chains that the inhabitants of Grosseto set up to mark 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, stretching in front of another medieval gate - Porta Vecchia.
The Roman column standing at the right corner of the Cathedral deserves special attention - from the Middle Ages until the mid-19th century, it stood in the southern part of the square.
