Piazza dei Signori Historical Timeline

Origins

The square was cleared in the 14th century in front of the palace of the Carraresi, the family who ruled Padua until Venice took the city in 1405. Its openness was deliberate: this was where power was displayed, not where goods were sold.

Turning points

Jacopo Dondi built an astronomical clock on the tower in 1344, among the earliest of its kind in Europe. It was destroyed and rebuilt in 1428 by Giovanni and Bartolomeo Delle Caldiere, and that mechanism is essentially what still runs.

Influential people

The Dondi family produced two generations of clockmakers of European significance; Jacopo's son Giovanni built the Astrarium, an astronomical clock of extraordinary complexity, and the family took the surname Dondi dall'Orologio from the work.

Cultural evolution

Under Venice the Carraresi palace became the seat of the Venetian governor, and the square kept its administrative role for four centuries. The Loggia del Consiglio of 1523 was added along one side as the meeting place of the city council.

Present-day significance

Today it is largely a café square, filling in the early evening. It is the one place in central Padua with room to stand back and look at a building.