Description

This is the most important and most centrally located piazza in Naples. It was called 'Largo del Mercatello' until 1588, during which time it hosted a market. After the Unification of Italy, it was named after the poet Dante Alighieri. His statue was erected in the middle of the piazza in 1872. The façade is sub-divided into three registers; set off by Doric-Roman columns and pilasters, the ground floor (which gives out onto the street) contains shops and restaurants, and on the other floors, the façade is adorned with balconies and windows with elegant cornices. Due to developments of the new metro line, the Dante monument has had to be moved to a flowerbed that lies at the side of the piazza.