It is the main square of Este, which is lined with many monuments and places of historical, civic, and cultural interest, including the Town Hall, the Palazzo del Monte di Pietà, and the Scaligero Palace of the Captain.
The Piazza Maggiore has all the characteristics of a typical Italian square: partially covered, with representative buildings on one or two sides, and especially with a dimension such that a passerby on one side can recognize a friend on the other side, according to the definition of Italian squares by the great architect Luis Kahn.
The Piazza Maggiore in the mid-1500s already featured porticoed and commercial fronts, the majestic buildings to the east and south, and the relationship with the wide road of Borgo nuovo (the current Via Matteotti) that characterize it today. Even the flagpole was positioned as it is now in view of the Castle. Unlike today, a canal flowed in place of the current Via G. Negri, separating the city from the Castle, which was connected by only one bridge, along the axis extending through Piazza Maggiore to Porta Vecchia.
The square, almost 300 years ago, essentially has its current layout, enhancing one that had already been configured for over two centuries. In historical maps, the center of the city is always represented as an organic system of squares, with Piazza Maggiore almost not separated from the Piazza della Legna (the current Piazza Trento-Trieste-Beatrice). The former had a more representative role while the latter served a functional purpose.
The tram is a sign of modernity and especially of urban life: Este becomes larger and since 1906 has had an electric tramway (which would be closed in the early 1930s), like the provincial capitals. The tram, from Via Massimo d' Azeglio, passed through Via Vittorio Emanuele II (now Via Matteotti), Piazza Vittorio Emanuele II (now Piazza Maggiore), Via Principe Umberto and Via Principe Amedeo, where the line branched in one direction to the Este train station and in the other direction to the S. Elena station, on the Padua - Bologna railway line, 5 km away.
The installation of the new flagpole that towers over the city dates back to 1933, standing tall like a bell tower, resulting from the national industrial production of the era, ''made of quality steel that replaced the traditional wood.'' Hoisted to celebrate national glories, it now more serenely becomes the trunk that supports a shining cone of lights, at the center of a warm and enveloping square, during the Christmas holidays.
The square, which until 50 years ago was named after Vittorio Emanuele, has always been a perfect stage for events and passing attractions. Nowadays, it is common to set up the square for important events, like a natural theater.
Clearly evident to the eye is the integration between Via Matteotti and Piazza Maggiore, which together create a unique space where the entire city recognizes itself. An effect that is impossible to achieve without the pedestrianization of the entire system and the participation of merchants and public establishments that enliven this central place.
