History
Among the numerous statues in the square, one represents Andrea Memmo, the patrician Venetian known as the provider of Padova. In 1775 Memmo decided to reclaim and restructure the entire area which, at that time, was nothing but an amorphous swampland.
The entire project, which was never fully completed, is represented in a famous copper engraving by Francesco Piranesi from 1785. It seems that Memmo had commissioned this and other representations and kept them on exhibition at the Palazzo Venezia, the headquarters of the Embassy of the Republic in Rome. He did this in order to entice other important figures into financing the construction of statues to decorate the square. The project approved by Domenico Cerato, professor of architecture at Vicenza and Padova.
The preliminary excavations done to install the plumbing system and reclaim the area were directed by Simone Stratico. These excavations brought to light the remains of an ancient Roman theater. These findings conferred a sense of historical dignity to the initiative, and transformed it into a project of reclamaton for its natural public use.
Andrea Memmo resided at Palazzo Angeli, constructed in the 15th century and located in Prato della Valle at an angle with the avenue Umberto I. Today, the monumental palazzo, property of the city of Padova, hosts the Museum of Precinema Minici Zotti Collection.
The following are of particular interest: the benedictine Basilica of Santa Giustina, the neoclassical style Loggia Amulea, and the many interesting palazzi constructed between the 14th and the 18th centuries which surround the square.
Read more about this topic: Prato Della Valle
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