Description
Today, Piazza Statuto is an elegant pedestrian square, but its paving stones preserve the memory of a turbulent past.
Originally known as Piazza dei Guttuari, and later as Piazza delle Erbe, or Herb Market Square, it was for centuries the centre of Asti’s markets. It was also the setting for fierce conflicts between noble factions competing for control of the city.
Dominating the square is the Torre Guttuari. It was built between 1225 and 1235 by the powerful family whose name it bears. The Guttuari played a highly influential role in the economic and social life of medieval Asti.
In 1304, the tower witnessed a violent act of retaliation. The rival Guelph family, the Solaro, destroyed the Guttuari residences surrounding it and prohibited their reconstruction. To ensure that the ban was observed, the area was turned into a marketplace.
Only the massive square base of the original tower survived. It remained truncated until the end of the nineteenth century, when the crenellated crown visible today was added.
Between Piazza Statuto and Piazza San Secondo stands the Palazzo degli Antichi Tribunali, or Palace of the Old Law Courts. Probably built during the thirteenth century, together with the Town Hall it formed the institutional heart of the city.
Its exposed-brick façade, characteristic of Asti’s Gothic architecture, still features large windows decorated with terracotta and sandstone.
Little historical information about the building has survived. However, its portico and architectural details still reveal the appearance of the original medieval structure. The building probably also housed Asti’s prisons.