I can see how impressive the Palazzo della Ragione is. Its four walls were covered in more than two hundred frescoes. This is probably more than any church that I have seen and the Palazzo della Ragione is “just” a town hall. One could probably spend the whole afternoon looking at each of the frescoes but I don’t have the time for that. I still have one more place to go to so I think I need to go. From the loggia of the Palazzo della Ragione, one can see the very busy Piazza della Erbe. Both sides of the palazzo have their own piazza and both of them have open markets in them. I visited during December, I don’t know if the piazza will be clear other months of the year.

Piazza delle Erbe, like much of this area of Padova is very old. The square has been in existence even before the Romans. However, it was during the time of the Romans that the piazza began to resemble its modern form. Structures were demolished to make more room and the streets were paved to make it easier to use for event. More grimly, the Piazza delle Erbe was also the site for executions. I guess that was how it was back then. It has been centuries since that happened and the piazza was been used as an open air market ever since. I like how organized the market is, it makes for much more pleasant visit.

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