Piazza dei Dogi, the name of which comes from the ancient popular tradition that the Dogi of the Maritime Republic resided in the large palace located on the southern side of the square, is a unique example of an intact medieval piazza.
In medieval times, Piazza dei Dogi, previously named Piazza “dei Ferrari”, was the blacksmiths’ district, and in addition to their workshops, there were also five churches in the square: the Church of S. Germano, the Church of the blacksmiths’ guild, dedicated to S.Maria Ferrariorum, the Church of the SS. Quaranta Martiri, the Church of S. Stefano de Platea and the Church of S. Antonio Abate. Over the centuries, these building have been incorporated into the surrounding houses. In the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, the square was used as a “spanditoio”, a place where pasta was left to dry.
