The squares

After Vittorio Emanuele II's death in 1878, the city’s most influential personalities worked to commission a marble statue to commemorate him, to be placed in what was then called Piazza dei Signori. On that occasion, the entire pavement of the square, which was later on named after him, was redone. In 1508, to mark the Venetian presence in the city, the column with the San Marco's lion was placed in its southern part. In 1797, the French army destroyed the lion on top of it, which was replaced much later, in 1881, when the monument to Vittorio Emanuele II was inaugurated.

In its centre stands the equestrian monument dedicated to Giuseppe Garibaldi, brought to life by Ettore Ferrari in 1896. The Palazzo della Camera di Commercio (Palace of the Chamber of Commerce) and the Teatro Sociale (Social Theatre) overlook the square.

When the demise of Giuseppe Garibaldi was announced on June the 3 rd, 1882, some young people from Rovigo who had served in the ranks of Garibaldi's army, among which Giovanni Battista Casalini and Remigio Piva, called for initiatives to commemorate him. It was in this situation that took shape the idea of erecting a statue dedicated to this crucial figure in the formation of the Italian country as it is today, that would commemorate his memory, deeds and intentions; the project succeeded and in 1896 the bronze equestrian monument by Ettore Ferrari was realised.

In 1859 the area surrounding the Convent courtyard, now known as Piazzetta Annonaria, became a symbolic place for the ration market, from the Latin word annonario, from which it took its name. Today, you can find local products shops, such as fruit and vegetable shops, a bakery, butcheries, household goods and a fishmonger.

You can access from via X Luglio and Piazza Umberto Merlin.

This welcoming square stands in the space once occupied by the Jewish ghetto, which was definitively demolished in 1930. The square is a sort of open garden, featuring gravel paths, sober grit benches, colourful flower beds and big trees surrounding the central fountain. Better known by the citizens as Piazza Roma, it changed its name when it was dedicated to senator Umberto Merlin, founder of the Partito Popolare (Popular Party).

Over the past few years, the city centre of Rovigo has undergone a major redevelopment project, which has included also the area of the castle, its gardens and Piazza Matteotti. Some marble slabs were placed there to create a plateau around the monument. 
Inside the garden is the base of the flagpole, which comes from the main square and was moved there after remaining in the portico of the Rotonda church for about a century. The base is decorated with four mermaids sustaining the coat of arms of Doge Pasquale Cicogna. 

The bronze monument dedicated to Giacomo Matteotti, placed in the square in front of the towers, was realised by Augusto Murer in 1978. It has a strong meaning, a hole in the silence, the hand standing out in the void, almost as if to emphasise the sentence "Kill me, but you'll never kill the idea that is in me". This is the artist’s tribute to Giacomo Matteotti, born in Fratta Polesine, a socialist deputy murdered in 1924 for having denounced the electoral fraud that allowed the fascist party to win the elections and take over the power.