Piazza del Popolo is the main square of Ravenna and has been the seat of the city government since the Middle Ages. Its look comes largely from the Venetians, who ruled Ravenna from 1441 to 1509 and in 1483 put up two tall granite columns modelled on those of St Mark's Square in Venice. Today the columns carry the city's patron saints, Apollinaris and Vitalis.
Piazza del Popolo at a glance
- Where: in the centre of Ravenna's old town, a few minutes' walk from Dante's Tomb and the Basilica of San Francesco.
- Created: from the second half of the 13th century under the da Polenta lords; enlarged, paved and given its Venetian character after 1441.
- What it is today: the city's main square, with the town hall, the prefecture and café tables, and the natural meeting point of the old town.
- Time needed: 15–20 minutes, longer over a coffee.
From Piazza del Comune to Piazza del Popolo
The square began in the second half of the 13th century, when the da Polenta family ruled Ravenna, and part of it lies over the bed of the Padenna, a small river later covered over. When Venice took the city in 1441 it enlarged and paved the square, built the Palazzetto Veneziano in 1461–1463 and, in 1483, raised the two columns, made by the sculptor Pietro Lombardo. One carried the Lion of St Mark, the other a statue of St Apollinaris. After Venice lost Ravenna in 1509, the lion was taken down. The present arrangement dates from 1644, with St Vitalis by Clemente Molli on the north column and St Apollinaris on the south.
Later centuries added the buildings around it. The town hall was rebuilt from 1681 and raised in 1761; its battlements, which give it the name Palazzo Merlato, were added only in 1857. The square has changed names too: Piazza del Comune, then Piazza Maggiore, then Piazza Vittorio Emanuele II, and finally Piazza del Popolo after the 1946 referendum, when more than 88% of Ravenna's voters chose the republic, one of the highest shares in Italy.
What to look for
- The two columns, signed 'Opus Petri Lombardi 1483', with St Apollinaris and St Vitalis on top.
- The carved round bases of the columns: one is decorated with the signs of the zodiac.
- The meridian line on one of the columns, engraved in 1793 to mark local noon and once used to set the square's clock.
- The Palazzetto Veneziano beside the town hall, with its arcade of five arches and the coat of arms of the Venetian governor Vitale Lando on the balcony.
- The Palazzo Merlato, the town hall with its 19th-century battlements, and opposite it the Palazzo della Torre dell'Orologio, which housed Ravenna's first cinema from 1907.
Theodoric's monogram
Look closely at the capitals of the Palazzetto Veneziano. Four of the six carry the carved monogram of Theodoric the Great, the Ostrogothic king who made Ravenna his capital around the year 500. They are older than the building by almost a thousand years: they probably come from the church of Sant'Andrea dei Goti, built in Theodoric's time and demolished around 1461 to make room for the Venetian fortress, the Rocca Brancaleone. The Venetians simply reused them, so a 6th-century king still signs a 15th-century façade.
Tips for your visit
- Stand between the two columns for the classic photo of the town hall, then turn round to see the Palazzo della Torre dell'Orologio.
- Morning coffee under the arcades and the evening passeggiata are the best times to see the square as locals use it.
- Ravenna is a city of bicycles, and cyclists cross the square from every direction, so look both ways before you step back for a photo.
- The square is a good base: most of the old town's sights are within about ten minutes on foot.
Nearby
- Dante's Tomb: the small neoclassical temple where the poet has been buried since his death in Ravenna in 1321, a few minutes' walk away.
- Basilica of San Francesco: the church next to Dante's Tomb, whose flooded crypt with a mosaic floor and goldfish you can look into.
- Mercato Coperto: Ravenna's restored covered market, now a food hall, a few minutes' walk from the square.
- Basilica of San Vitale: the 6th-century church with some of the finest Byzantine mosaics anywhere, about ten minutes' walk away.
See Ravenna with World City Trail
Our Ravenna scavenger hunt turns the old town into a game you play on your phone. The route links 10 stops and takes around 2 hours, with about 38 minutes of walking. It includes the Giardini Pubblici, the city's public gardens. You can play in English, German, French, Italian, Spanish and Dutch.
If you prefer a different format, there is also a self-guided walking tour and an outdoor escape game in Ravenna.
Play the Ravenna scavenger hunt →
Take the self-guided walking tour of Ravenna →
Play the outdoor escape game in Ravenna →
Facts checked in October 2026.