The square is dedicated to Matilda of Canossa, in memory of the Grand Countess of Mantua who exercised a strong political influence in the history of Italy and Europe in the 11th century, and has nothing to do with the palace of the same name commissioned by Orazio Canossa of Verona in the 17th century.
In medieval times, the square was a crossroads between two major city arteries, with a well at its center. The square began to take on its current form in 1659, when Marquis Orazio began work on expanding and renovating the pre-existing buildings and reorganizing the space before them. This created a perfect theatrical space where Canossa Palace and the Church of the Our Lady of the Earthquake they act as wings and have as a backdrop the porticoed building, which closes the square in perspective.
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