Piazza Maggiore is the historical and symbolic heart of Este, today a unified urban space along with Via Matteotti. Its origins date back to the low Middle Ages, when it was a large "pratum mercati," a meeting place for merchants and travelers. Between the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries, it gradually transformed into a civic center with the mayor's palace and municipal offices, taking on an increasingly political and representative role.
Over the centuries, the square changed its appearance several times: in the fifteenth century it was reduced with the birth of the "new borough," in the seventeenth century it was paved and enriched by the Marcian column, while in the eighteenth century it also became a venue for popular spectacles, such as the "bull hunt." In the nineteenth century, it was further reorganized with new paving and the monument featuring the lions by Riccoboni.
Via Matteotti, the natural continuation of the square towards the Porta Vecchia, was created as a covered commercial street, filled with shops and gothic houses later transformed into palaces between the Renaissance and the nineteenth century. The urban axis visually culminates between the Civic Tower and the Carrarese Castle, once symbols of power, now identity elements of the city.
Today, Piazza Maggiore and Via Matteotti form a single vibrant and continuous pedestrian space, animated by commercial and social activities. The lighting and urban care enhance its perspective, making it the true heart of the City.
