Piazza dei Signori

Piazza dei Signori Review

At the heart of Vicenza, this square contains the Palazzo della Ragione (1549), commonly known as Palladio's basilica, a courthouse, and public meeting hall (the original Roman meaning of the term "basilica"). With this project Palladio made his name by successfully modernizing the medieval building, grafting a graceful two-story exterior loggia onto the existing Gothic structure. The palazzo is open only when it houses exhibits, but the building's main point of interest is the loggia, which is visible from the piazza. Take a look also at the Loggia del Capitaniato, opposite, which Palladio designed but never completed.