Versione Alfa 0.1.03

In Piazza Manin stand some buildings of historical interest:

Casa Garzoglio is the first one on the left side of the square; it is made up of two different buildings: a thirteenth-century tower with a green stone base and the upper part made of bricks, and a neighbouring fourteenth-century house made of bricks too. The wide arch on the ground floor of this house was part of a loggia, originally opening on the street. The heart of the square is the building known as "Raiba", the town market; on the facade you can still identify the brick arches of the loggia, where the town's food stock was stored under the management of an officer. The storage business was abolished with a decree of the Republic of Genoa in 1785. The building facade also shows a column with a Corinthian capital, whose origins are still unknown. Near the square stands Casa Maglio, with its impressive stone base and steps to the entrance; in the upper storeys, some mullioned windows are still visible. Some noble families lived in this side of the town, and these two fortified houses are an evidence of that.

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Porta di Piazza

This is the central and main gate of the town; it was built between the 12th and the 13th centuries with the second part of the town wall. This gate was originally protected by a defensive bulwark, that was destroyed after 1800. The fresco on the facade is a depiction of the Virgin Mary with Eugenio and Paragorio, the patron saints of the town; this art work was realized by the Spanish painter Vincenzo Suarez in 1787 and restored by the painter Giovanni Rovero in 1924.

 

The Town Hall Square

This was the heart of all the main town activities. In Republican times, the square hosted the yearly meetings of the citizens, during which the town administrators (the Consuls or the Podestà) were elected. In the past a drinking water well was located in the square centre and the Town Hall Palace was accessible with an outer staircase. Through the ages the square saw many changes, until it took today's view; in the centre you can now see the Noli coat of arms surrounded by those of the other Ancient Maritime Republics: Genoa, Amalfi, Venice and Pisa.