Plaza Italia, Buenos Aires, Square in Palermo, Buenos Aires, Argentina

Plaza Italia is a small square in the Palermo district of Buenos Aires, at the meeting point of Santa Fe and Sarmiento avenues. In its center stands an equestrian statue of Giuseppe Garibaldi, and the surrounding corners lead to the Ecoparque, the La Rural exhibition grounds, and the Botanical Garden.

Construction of the square began in 1898, and it was first known as Plaza de los Portones because of the large gates at the entrance to Sarmiento Avenue. In 1909, a city ordinance gave it its current name, and the Garibaldi statue was unveiled in 1904.

Locals often use the name Plaza Italia to refer to the whole area around the square, not just the green space itself. On the corner near the La Rural grounds, a fragment of a column from the Roman Forum, donated by the city of Rome, stands as a piece of ancient history in the middle of the city.

The square is easy to reach on foot from nearby neighborhoods and serves as a landmark for finding the entrances to the gardens and exhibition grounds. It is always open, but the surrounding streets are crowded with traffic, so use the crosswalks and allow extra time when passing through.

A small mosaic on the northeast side of Santa Fe Avenue marks the spot where the city's first electric tram departed in 1897. The Roman column fragment near the square is over 2,000 years old, making it one of the oldest monuments in Buenos Aires.