Figure 1.--An Italian piazza is an open urban square, often rectangular shape. Some are known all over the world like Piazza Navona in Rome. Most piazzas are much more modest and only of interest to locals. In addition to piazzas are small open spaces, commonly around fountains or wells. Until after the turn-of-the 20th century, few Italins had running water in their homes, even it the cities. The fountain/well area became local community gathering places. This photograph was taken in Venice about 1870 by Carlo Naya (1816-1882). It puctures Corte dei Preti, a little square with a public well. This no doubt is related to the English word 'court'. EWe notice the Itlian word 'coirtinini'. This was a time of rapid urbanizatiin with people from the countryside, especially in sourhrn Italy moving ito the growing industrial cities of the north.

About 70 percent of Italy's modern popultion is urban (2020). Italian urbabization is facinating because it has occured on baasuis of an ancuent and medieval urban structure. The urban structure has two primary foundations. The ancient structure was based on Rome in the south and Etruscan in the center abnd north. The Renaissance structure was largely centered in the north. [Malusardi and Muscarà] Rome was the ancient world's most urbanized society. With the fall of Rome, Italy became a de-urbanized society. With the the high Middle Ages and Renaissance we begin to see the growth of cities again. Unification and industrialization began in the mid-19th century and we see a massive trend of urbanization, especially in northern Italy. [Malanima] Italy has some of the most famed cities of the world. The three largest cities are Rome, Milan, and Naples. Rome is an incredible city, the center of a great ancient empire. There are treaures ranging from ancient amd medeval times. Milan was ancient Medhelan Mediolanum (city in the middle of the lands) is Milan is the fashion capital of the world with important influences on design, economics, opera, and the media. Naples is one of Europe's greatest ports. Turin is a major industrial city on the Po River. Venice was a great power of the medieval era. It is a unique city built over the water in the middle of a lagoon, basically to avoid barbarian raids after the fall of rome. It is surely Italy's most beautiful and romantic cities. Also important were the maritime city states which besides Venice included: Genoa, Pisa, Verona, Rimini, and Ravena. Floremce is famed for its artistic treasures with Italy's most important Renaissance architectural and artistic centers. Italian cities have features that show their historic roots. While Rome's famed walls today are largely gone, Italy's famed piazzas are continue to be an important part of modern Italian urban life.

Sources

Malusardi, Federico and Calogero Muscarà. "Italian urbanization: Between scattered settlement and counterurbanization," Ekistics Vol. 53, No. 320/321 (1986), pp. 307-10.

Malanima, Palolo. "Urbanisation and the Italian economy during the last millennium," European Review of Economic History Vol. 9, Issue 1 (April 2005), pp. 97–122,

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Last updated: 1:54 PM 7/12/2022