ABSTRACT
Chapter 8 provides an overview of the development of the Italian piazza, in plans by Filarete and Serlio and in real piazzas such as the Campo in Siena, the piazza in Pienza created by Pope Pius II, the Piazza Signoria in Firenze, and St. Mark’s Square in Venice. On the one hand, the piazzas developed as highly contested spaces. As Giovanni Cavalcanti put it in his Istorie fiorentine: “Whoever holds sway over the piazza always controls the city.” On the other hand – as emphasized by Vincenzo Scamozzi – the piazzas were the result of planning. Through centuries, St Mark’s Square and especially its spectacular processions has inspired numerous writers, not least writers of travelogues such as Thomads Coryat. Among the writers, Petrarch stands out as someone who with his “humble and busy pen” tries to emulate the pomp and circumstance of these processions.
