Grosseto -Tuscany - Piazza Dante
Piazza Dante (also known as Piazza delle Catene, lit. 'Chains' Square') is the main public square in Grosseto, Tuscany, Italy.
The piazza is located in the city's historic centre, included within the perimeter of the 16th-century city walls. It is home to the city's main representative buildings, including the St. Lawrence Cathedral, the Palazzo Comunale (City Hall) and the Palazzo Aldobrandeschi, seat of the Province of Grosseto. The northern section of the square is called Piazza Duomo, since it is overlooked by the cathedral's façade.
The statue of Leopold II of Tuscany (Italian: monumento a Leopoldo II di Lorena), better known as Canapone, is a white marble monument located at the centre of the square. It was sculpted by artist Luigi Magi [it], and positioned in 1846. It represents Leopold II, Grand Duke of Tuscany dressed as an ancient Roman, in the act of holding up with his left hand a woman, who bears a dead child, and with his right arm a smiling boy; the grand duke's right foot crushes the head of a snake, which is also devoured by a griffin. The allegorical sculpture was meant to celebrate the land reforms and reclamations perpetrated by the grand duke, who is depicted here as a Roman sage and saviour who comes to succour the Maremma (the woman) who has suffered for generations (the dead child); the next generation (the smiling boy) will be grateful to the grand duke who defeated the malaria (the snake), also thanks to the strength and sacrifice of the people of Grosseto (the griffin)
Grosseto -Tuscany - Piazza Dante
Piazza Dante (also known as Piazza delle Catene, lit. 'Chains' Square') is the main public square in Grosseto, Tuscany, Italy.
The piazza is located in the city's historic centre, included within the perimeter of the 16th-century city walls. It is home to the city's main representative buildings, including the St. Lawrence Cathedral, the Palazzo Comunale (City Hall) and the Palazzo Aldobrandeschi, seat of the Province of Grosseto. The northern section of the square is called Piazza Duomo, since it is overlooked by the cathedral's façade.
The statue of Leopold II of Tuscany (Italian: monumento a Leopoldo II di Lorena), better known as Canapone, is a white marble monument located at the centre of the square. It was sculpted by artist Luigi Magi [it], and positioned in 1846. It represents Leopold II, Grand Duke of Tuscany dressed as an ancient Roman, in the act of holding up with his left hand a woman, who bears a dead child, and with his right arm a smiling boy; the grand duke's right foot crushes the head of a snake, which is also devoured by a griffin. The allegorical sculpture was meant to celebrate the land reforms and reclamations perpetrated by the grand duke, who is depicted here as a Roman sage and saviour who comes to succour the Maremma (the woman) who has suffered for generations (the dead child); the next generation (the smiling boy) will be grateful to the grand duke who defeated the malaria (the snake), also thanks to the strength and sacrifice of the people of Grosseto (the griffin)