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piazza

piazza

14 7.4
An open public square in an Italian town where people gather
  • noun
  • /piˈɑːtsə/
: plaza
  • So I was in Piazza Navona in Rome a few weeks ago working on a new book.
  • piazzas in Florence
  • Piazza della
  • Piazza San Marco

So I was in Piazza Navona in Rome a few weeks ago working on a new book.

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Examples

  • Italian cities have ancient roots, and many piazzas serve as the repository of Italian urban history.

    Academic text (1994)
  • The focus here is functional: the role of the piazza in the morphology of modern Italian cities.

    Academic text (1994)
  • Meet me at the piazza tomorrow at 2:00... alone.

  • Now, as she walked into the piazza that opened before her, the sun was setting.

    Fiction book (1996)
  • Few examples of this type of piazza are found in Italian cities.

    Academic text (1994)
  • I wanted one downstairs that opened onto the piazza, but John would not hear of it.

  • "I thought we could sit at a table in the Piazza San Marco."

    Fiction book (1996)
  • I stood in the deserted piazza deciding what to do, while not deciding anything.

    Fiction book (1996)
  • And we went to a place called Rosati's in the Piazza del Popolo.

  • The tourists gathered in the piazza to enjoy the local festival and admire the street performers.

Synonyms

square
vspiazza
441 1.0

An open place in a town where streets meet

is the Italian term and may also act as a marketplace
plaza
vspiazza
96 2.7

A large open public area in a town where people meet and hold events

is the Italian form often found in town marketplaces and social areas
public square
vspiazza
6 2.5

An open area in a town or city where people meet and events happen

is used especially in Italian towns and often functions as a marketplace
market square
vspiazza
2 2.1

An open area in a town where people sell food and goods

is broader serving general public gathering not only for markets
piazzetta
vspiazza
1 9.5

A small open square in an Italian town where people meet

is similar but tends to be larger and used as a main gathering place
zócalo
vspiazza
9.9

A central public square in a town where people meet

is the Italian word used more widely for open town gathering places

How Big

plaza
96 2.7
piazza
14 7.4
courtyard
108 2.2
piazzetta
1 9.5

Surface Forms

piazza singular
piazzas plural

Etymology

The word piazza comes from Italian for a town's open square and is related to the word plaza, both coming from the old word platea meaning 'broad street' or 'open space'. So a piazza is the open place in a town where people meet, shop, or sit at cafés.