Piazza Mino

Piazza Mino is the civic centre of Fiesole, an irregular double trapezoid framed by the cathedral and the town's civic buildings.

Why it matters

The square's form follows the contour of the hill and places religious institutions on one side and civic authority on the other. Its arrangement preserves the medieval organisation of Fiesole's public life, while the site also recalls the Roman forum beneath the later town.

What to notice

The cathedral, Palazzo Vescovile and Seminario line the western side. Across the square, the raised eastern side includes Palazzo Pretorio and Santa Maria Primerana. A bronze monument by Oreste Calzolari, installed in 1906, depicts Vittorio Emanuele II and Giuseppe Garibaldi at the Meeting of Teano.

Context and history

Religious and civic buildings have defined opposite sides of the square since the medieval period. The site also carries a much older public history as the location of the Roman forum. Calzolari's 1906 monument commemorates the 1860 meeting between the king and Garibaldi. Later paving and traffic changes shaped the square's modern form.