piazza

The Italian public square — the social, political, and commercial heart of Italian towns and cities. Every Italian town has its piazza — from Piazza San Marco in Venice to Piazza Navona in Rome, Piazza del Campo in Siena. The piazza as the center of democratic urban life, civic gathering, and social interaction reflects the Italian tradition of the agora. The word has entered many languages globally.

“La Piazza del Campo di Siena, dove si corre il Palio, è uno dei simboli della vita civica italiana.”

In English: “Siena's Piazza del Campo, where the Palio is run, is one of the symbols of Italian civic life.”