Piazza degli Scacchi

Marostica’s Piazza degli Scacchi is a civic square framed by arcades, the Castello Inferiore and the Palazzo del Doglione. Its central chessboard, about 256 square metres, is made of red and white marble from the Asiago plateau with a dark trachyte border. The square is the setting of the town’s biennial living-chess performance.

Why it matters

The square brings together Marostica’s civic life, architecture and the legend behind its chess identity. The living chess game is based on a local story set in 1454: two knights, Rinaldo d’Angarano and Vieri da Vallonara, sought to marry Lionora, daughter of the governor. According to the legend, the governor replaced their duel with a chess match using living pieces. The first modern staging took place in 1923, created by Mirko Vucetich and Francesco Pozza.

What to notice

The Castello Inferiore closes the square to the south and the Palazzo del Doglione anchors its north side; arcades and palaces line the flanks. A column on the north-east side commemorates Marostica’s loyalty to Venice during the War of the League of Cambrai and bears the winged lion of Saint Mark. A second column stands to the west. Two bas-relief lions appear on the castle and Doglione facades. In the northern part of the square, a white-stone well survives from a fifteenth-century fountain. South of the marble board is an inlaid Scaliger coat of arms.

Context and history

The legend names the rival knights Rinaldo d’Angarano and Vieri da Vallonara, Lionora and her sister Oldrada. The governor decreed that the winner of the chess match would marry Lionora, while the other would marry Oldrada. Since no record preserves the game’s original moves, modern performances use well-known historical games, including the Immortal Game and the Evergreen Game. The square also remains a civic space, framed by the town’s historic arcades and public buildings.