Piazza delle Erbe is Verona's oldest square, a long, lively market place on the site of the Roman forum. Around it stand two thousand years of the city's history: a fountain topped by a Roman statue, a column with the Lion of St Mark, frescoed house fronts and the 84-metre Torre dei Lamberti. Market stalls still fill the middle, as they have for centuries.
Piazza delle Erbe at a glance
- Where: in the centre of Verona's old town, at the crossing of the old Roman main streets, next to Piazza dei Signori.
- Created: as the Roman forum around the 1st century BC; the medieval square took roughly its present shape between the 12th and 13th centuries.
- What it is today: a pedestrian square with a daily market, cafés and restaurants, and one of the city's main meeting points.
- Time needed: 20–30 minutes for the square, an hour if you climb the Torre dei Lamberti.
From Roman forum to market square
When Verona became a Roman municipium in 49 BC, its forum was laid out here, where the main north-south street (today's Via Cappello) met the main east-west street (today's Via Roma and Corso Sant'Anastasia). A temple, the Capitolium, overlooked the forum from the north-west. After the fall of Rome its buildings decayed or were stripped for stone, and the Roman level now lies several metres below your feet. The space stayed at the centre of city life, and in the 12th and 13th centuries, under the medieval commune, it took on the shape you see today.
Under the della Scala lords, political power moved to the neighbouring Piazza dei Signori, but Piazza delle Erbe kept its role as Verona's market. The Venetian Republic, which ruled Verona from 1405, left its mark with the winged lion of St Mark on a column. The stalls once sold herbs, vegetables, tools and leather; today there are more snacks and souvenirs, but the market is still there every day.
What to look for
- The Madonna Verona fountain, built in 1368 for Cansignorio della Scala; the statue on top is a Roman sculpture reused as the city's patroness.
- The column with the Lion of St Mark at the north end, in front of the Baroque Palazzo Maffei and its row of statues of gods.
- The Case Mazzanti on the north-east side, with 16th-century frescoes on their façades.
- The Domus Mercatorum, the crenellated merchants' house on the south-west side.
- The capitello, a small canopy on four columns in the middle of the square, used in the Middle Ages for official ceremonies.
- The Arco della Costa leading to Piazza dei Signori, with a whale rib hanging from its arch.
The whale rib of the Arco della Costa
Walk from Piazza delle Erbe towards Piazza dei Signori and look up as you pass under the arch: a large bone, believed to be a whale rib, hangs from a chain. It has been there since at least the 18th century, perhaps much longer, and nobody knows for sure how it got to a city so far from the sea. Legend says it will fall on the first person who walks underneath who has never told a lie. So far, it has not fallen.
Tips for your visit
- Come early in the morning to see the stalls being set up and the square before the crowds arrive.
- Climb the Torre dei Lamberti for the best view over the square and the red roofs of the old town.
- Have a drink at one of the cafés on the square in the evening, when the frescoes catch the low light.
- Keep an eye on your bag in the busy market crowds.
Nearby
- Piazza dei Signori: the quieter, elegant square of the della Scala lords, with the statue of Dante, just through the Arco della Costa.
- Casa di Giulietta: the house with Juliet's balcony, a couple of minutes' walk along Via Cappello.
- Porta Borsari: the Roman city gate on Corso Porta Borsari, a short walk west.
- Arena di Verona: the Roman amphitheatre on Piazza Bra, about ten minutes' walk south along Via Mazzini.
See Verona with World City Trail
Our Verona scavenger hunt turns the old town into a game you play on your phone. The route links 10 stops and takes around 3 hours, with about 45 minutes of walking. It includes the Arena di Verona, Casa di Giulietta and Porta Borsari. You can play in English, German, French, Italian, Spanish or Dutch.
If you prefer a different format, there is also a self-guided walking tour and an outdoor escape game in Verona.
Play the Verona scavenger hunt →
Take the self-guided walking tour of Verona →
Play the outdoor escape game in Verona →
Facts checked in October 2026.