Piazza Vecchia is the oldest heart of the city; it is "one of the most fascinating squares in the world," as Le Corbusier wrote after seeing it one evening at sunset. Created after the demolition of medieval houses and stores, it is a Renaissance space with a fountain in the center donated in 1780 by podestà Contarini. Enclosed on either side by historic buildings such as the Palazzo del Podestà, the Palazzo della Ragione, which dates back to the 12th century but was rebuilt in the 15th-15th centuries with the lion of St. Mark, bearing witness to the rule of the Serenissima. Then the imposing medieval Town Hall Tower stands out above them all, which even today, at 10 p.m., makes its 100 chimes, in memory of when the city gates were closed. In Piazza Vecchia on the third Sunday of each month (except August) the Mercantico : Antiques Market takes place.
