Piazza Maggiore
Last updated on September 8, 2026Overview
Piazza Maggiore is the centre of the upper town of Feltre, and it is one of the more coherent sixteenth-century squares in the Veneto -- coherent because the town was burned to the ground in 1510 and rebuilt all at once.
The square is set on a slope, with steps and terraces linking its levels, the church of San Rocco on one side and the castle above it.
Around it are the frescoed facades that the rebuilding produced, and a fountain by Tullio Lombardo of 1520 -- a piece of Venetian sculpture in a small mountain town.
Quick Facts
- Type: Square/Plazza
- Local name: Piazza Maggiore (vedi la pagina italiana)
- Built: Rebuilt after 1510; fountain 1520
- A town rebuilt in one go: Imperial troops burned Feltre in 1510, so the upper town is a single coherent sixteenth-century rebuilding rather than an accumulation of centuries.
- A Lombardo fountain in the mountains: The square’s fountain of 1520 is by Tullio Lombardo, of the Venetian family of sculptor-architects -- a direct trace of Venice’s investment after the sack.
Visit Responsibly
Feltre is a small working town with modest tourism, and the buildings around the square are homes and offices. Keep noise down and do not photograph into windows.
The frescoed facades are fragile and are conserved at real expense. Do not touch the plaster.
Park below and walk up. The upper town's streets are narrow and were not built for cars.
Spending in the town -- the cafés on the square, the shops on Via Mezzaterra -- is the practical way to contribute in a place that does not live on visitors.
Plan Your Visit
The square is a public space: free, open, and pedestrianised.
It is in the upper town, reached on foot up Via Mezzaterra from the lower town -- a steady ten-minute climb -- or by road with limited parking near the top.
Allow half an hour for the square itself, and an hour or two to include Via Mezzaterra and the castle.
The square is stepped and on a slope, and the approach from below is a climb; it is not easy for wheelchairs or those with mobility difficulties, though there is road access to the upper level.
Feltre has a railway station on the Padua-Belluno line, about fifteen minutes' walk below the old town.