Piazza dei Signori (Lords Square), Verona (must see)

Signori Square has long been one of Verona’s most elegant public spaces, surrounded by grand palaces that once housed the city’s rulers. Also called Lords Square, it reflects the political heart of medieval Verona, where the Scaligeri family governed during the city’s most powerful era. The square is also tied to the legacy of Romeo and Juliet: here stood the seat of government where Bartolomeo della Scala banished the fictional Romeo to Mantua.

At the square’s center rises a statue of Dante Alighieri, installed in 1865 to mark the 600th anniversary of the poet’s birth. Exiled from Florence, Dante found refuge in Verona under the Scaligeri — a key period in which he continued writing the Divine Comedy.

Several important buildings stand along the square. The Ragione Palace, once Verona’s town hall, and the Captain’s Palace, seat of the military governor during Venetian rule, both define the western side.

On the east side is the Portico of the Council, a landmark of Venetian Renaissance architecture where civic leaders once met beneath elegant arches. The Domus Nova Palace, dating to the 13th century, formerly housed the Chief Magistrate’s offices. Nearby stands the Podestà Palace, a former Scaliger residence later adapted for administrative use.

One of the most colorful façades belongs to the House of Charity, now home to Antico Caffè Dante, considered one of Verona’s oldest cafés. Today, Signori Square remains a refined setting for admiring centuries of political, artistic, and literary history — all gathered into one compact civic space.