Case Mazzanti, Renaissance architectural complex in Piazza delle Erbe, Verona, Italy.
Case Mazzanti is an architectural ensemble on the northeast side of Piazza delle Erbe in Verona, made up of multi-story buildings with painted facades, round-arched windows, and ground-floor arcades. The arcades open directly onto the square and today house a mix of shops, bars, and restaurants.
The complex goes back to the 12th century, when it was used as a granary by the Della Scala family, who ruled Verona at the time. The Mazzanti family took ownership in 1527 and gave the buildings the name they still carry today.
The painted facades of Case Mazzanti are visible directly from the square and show mythological scenes and ornamental motifs that were typical of Renaissance Verona. This type of exterior painting was once common across the city, but few examples remain as visible as these today.
The arcades at street level are accessible during the day through the shops and venues that occupy them, but the upper floors are not open to visitors. To see the full height of the facades, it helps to step back toward the center of the square and look from a distance.
Behind the complex there was once a narrow staircase that gave residents access to a well fitted with an iron guide rail, allowing them to draw water from within their own homes. This kind of built-in water access was a practical feature of urban housing in Verona at the time.
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