piazza

American  

[pee-az-uh, -ah-zuh, pee-at-suh, -aht-, pyaht-tsah] / piˈæz ə, -ˈɑ zə, piˈæt sə, -ˈɑt-, ˈpyɑt tsɑ /

noun

piazzas, plural piazze plural

1. an open square or public place in a city or town, especially in Italy.

2. Chiefly New England and Inland South. a large porch on a house; veranda.

3. Chiefly British. an arcade or covered walk or gallery, as around a public square or in front of a building.

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piazza British  

/ ˈpjattsa, pɪˈætsə, -ˈædzə /

noun

1. a large open square in an Italian town

2. a covered passageway or gallery

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piazza Cultural  

1. An open square, especially in a city or town in Italy.

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Other Word Forms

• piazzaed
  adjective
• piazzian
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of piazza

1575–85; < Italian < Latin platēa courtyard, originally, street < Greek plateîa, noun use of feminine of platýs flat ¹. See place

Explanation

Most cities and large towns have a central outdoor gathering place or town square — in Italy, this is called a piazza. Some piazzas have benches, statues, and fountains. The most famous piazza in the world is probably the Piazza San Marco in Venice, but there are several piazzas in almost every Italian city, and the word is commonly used in Ethiopia as well. London's first public square, Covent Garden, was modeled after Italian piazzas. In the U.S., it's more common for this word to mean "porch lined with columns," instead of "town square," and for unknown reasons, this usage is especially common in the Boston area.

Example Sentences

The US-born pope drew excited crowds when he arrived in his popemobile at a piazza in Acerra, a city of around 60,000 people.

From Barron's • May 23, 2026

“Sitting outside in the sun on a beautiful piazza with your friends and food is hugely aspirational for the rest of the world,” Hunt said.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 6, 2026

Enzo Resta, a longtime resident and founder of the Bolinas Film Festival, compared the Bolinas post office to an Italian piazza — a place of serendipitous run-ins and “the poetry of community engagement.”

From Los Angeles Times • May 10, 2025

Some 10,000 mourners, including Italy’s justice minister, gathered for Cecchetin’s funeral Mass at Padua’s Santa Giustina cathedral, many thousands spilling out into the piazza.

From Seattle Times • Dec. 5, 2023

He strapped Hazel’s sword to his belt, morphed his backpack into a quiver and bow, and raced toward the piazza where he’d fought the cow monsters.

From "The House of Hades" by Rick Riordan