Piazza Dante

Piazza Dante, Grosseto's principal historic square, brings together the cathedral, civic buildings and the marble monument to Grand Duke Leopoldo II. Also known as Piazza delle Catene, it reflects the civic and rural history of the Maremma.

Why it matters

Piazza Dante has been the main open space of Grosseto's historic centre since the Middle Ages. Around it stand the cathedral of San Lorenzo, the municipal palace and the neo-Gothic former seat of the Province. At its centre is a marble monument to Grand Duke Leopoldo II, whose land-reclamation campaigns became part of the region's history. The square brings together religious, governmental and commercial histories of Grosseto and the Maremma.

What to notice

Medieval porticoes line two sides of the square, while the cathedral's flank closes another. The cathedral facade dates to the late thirteenth century and is associated with the Sienese master Sozzo Rustichini; its portal includes plant and animal motifs. The Palazzo della Provincia, designed by Lorenzo Porciatti and inaugurated in 1903, uses a neo-Gothic style that quotes medieval Sienese civic architecture. At the centre, Luigi Magi's marble group depicts Leopoldo II beside allegorical figures representing the suffering Maremma and the region's recovery from malaria.

Context and history

The square took shape between the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries and was long known as Piazza delle Catene. In 1846 engineer Angiolo Cianferoni redesigned it around the monument, adding slopes, a circular stone pavement, chains and benches. The tribute to Leopoldo II had been discussed since 1836; Magi's sketch was approved in 1837, the definitive model delivered in 1842, and the monument inaugurated on 1 May 1846. Work on the square continued in stages until 1903. The chains were removed in 1956 and re-laid in 2001 during restoration.