Verziere
Encyclopedia
The Verziere was the traditional greengrocery street market of Milan
, Italy
. The market itself has been relocated several times, and it is now in Via Lombroso, east of the city centre; the word "Verziere", anyway, still refers to the main historic location of the market, where it was held from 1776 century until 1911. The new greengrocery market of Via Lombroso is more properly referred to as "Ortomercato" (another Italian word with the same meaning) or "Mercati Generali" ("general markets").
The "Verziere" area has been a symbol of Milan, and notable Milanese scholars such as Carlo Porta
and Carlo Maria Maggi
celebrated the Verziere in their works as the place where both the Milanese dialect and the Milanese culture was represented in their purest form.
Until the late 19th century, the Verziere could be reached by boat through Milan's canal system, which included a small port in an artificial inlet called "Laghetto" ("small lake"). The lake (as well as most of Milan's canals) has since been filled-in, but it is recalled in some toponymys, most notably "Via del Laghetto" ("Small Lake Street").
Between the late 16th century and the late 17th century, a votive
monumental column, called Colonna del Verziere, was erected in what was the centre of the market.
The market was moved in 1911 to the surroundings of Porta Vittoria, where it remained until 1965. In this less central setting, the Verziere could be expanded. Several buildings were realized for the market, most of which were later demolished; the most notable remnant of this incarnation of the Verziere is the "Palazzina Liberty" bordering the Marinai d'Italia city park, an Art Nouveau
building designed in 1908 by architect Alberto Migliorini and that, over time, has hosted cultural events and has been used as the headquarters of Dario Fo
's theatrical company.
In 1965 the market was finally moved to its current location in Via Lombroso.
In 1966, a statue of poet Carlo Porta, realized by Ivo Sioli, was placed in the old Verziere location of Piazza Santo Stefano. The statue is usually referred to as "Carlo Porta al Verzee" ("Carlo Porta by the Verziere").
, in 1857, ordered that it be filled in for hygienical reasons. Moreover, witches were believed to inhabit the district; their leader was known to live on the second floor of the "Cà dei Tencitt" ("House of the tencitt") building, in what is now Via Laghetto. In fact, the Verziere Column, topped with a cross and a statue of Jesus Christ the Redeemer
, was also erected with the purpose of opposing the malicious power of the "Verziere Witches".
Milan
Milan is the second-largest city in Italy and the capital city of the region of Lombardy and of the province of Milan. The city proper has a population of about 1.3 million, while its urban area, roughly coinciding with its administrative province and the bordering Province of Monza and Brianza ,...
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
. The market itself has been relocated several times, and it is now in Via Lombroso, east of the city centre; the word "Verziere", anyway, still refers to the main historic location of the market, where it was held from 1776 century until 1911. The new greengrocery market of Via Lombroso is more properly referred to as "Ortomercato" (another Italian word with the same meaning) or "Mercati Generali" ("general markets").
The "Verziere" area has been a symbol of Milan, and notable Milanese scholars such as Carlo Porta
Carlo Porta
Carlo Porta was an Italian poet, the most famous writer in Milanese .-Biography:...
and Carlo Maria Maggi
Carlo Maria Maggi
Carlo Maria Maggi was an Italian scholar, writer and poet. Despite being an Accademia della Crusca affiliate, he gained his fame as an author of "dialectal" works in Milanese language, for which he is considered the father of Milanese literature...
celebrated the Verziere in their works as the place where both the Milanese dialect and the Milanese culture was represented in their purest form.
History
The first Verzee was probably held in the main plaza of Milan, that of the Duomo until the early 16th century, when it was relocated in the context of a thorough urban reorganization dictated by the municipal authorities. The market was thus relocated to what is now Piazza Fontana, a prominent square adjacent to the Duomo, where the Palace of the Archbishop ("Palazzo dell'Arcivescovado" in Italian) is also located. The 18th century scholar Carlo Torre mentions the Verziere in his essay Il ritratto di Milano ("Portrait of Milan", 1714), reporting that the area used to be a "wonderful garden". The market was then moved from Piazza Fontana to the nearby Piazza Santo Stefano and then (in 1776) to its best known historic location in Largo Augusto.Until the late 19th century, the Verziere could be reached by boat through Milan's canal system, which included a small port in an artificial inlet called "Laghetto" ("small lake"). The lake (as well as most of Milan's canals) has since been filled-in, but it is recalled in some toponymys, most notably "Via del Laghetto" ("Small Lake Street").
Between the late 16th century and the late 17th century, a votive
Votive offering
A votive deposit or votive offering is one or more objects displayed or deposited, without the intention of recovery or use, in a sacred place for broadly religious purposes. Such items are a feature of modern and ancient societies and are generally made in order to gain favor with supernatural...
monumental column, called Colonna del Verziere, was erected in what was the centre of the market.
The market was moved in 1911 to the surroundings of Porta Vittoria, where it remained until 1965. In this less central setting, the Verziere could be expanded. Several buildings were realized for the market, most of which were later demolished; the most notable remnant of this incarnation of the Verziere is the "Palazzina Liberty" bordering the Marinai d'Italia city park, an Art Nouveau
Art Nouveau
Art Nouveau is an international philosophy and style of art, architecture and applied art—especially the decorative arts—that were most popular during 1890–1910. The name "Art Nouveau" is French for "new art"...
building designed in 1908 by architect Alberto Migliorini and that, over time, has hosted cultural events and has been used as the headquarters of Dario Fo
Dario Fo
Dario Fo is an Italian satirist, playwright, theater director, actor and composer. His dramatic work employs comedic methods of the ancient Italian commedia dell'arte, a theatrical style popular with the working classes. He currently owns and operates a theatre company with his wife, actress...
's theatrical company.
In 1965 the market was finally moved to its current location in Via Lombroso.
In 1966, a statue of poet Carlo Porta, realized by Ivo Sioli, was placed in the old Verziere location of Piazza Santo Stefano. The statue is usually referred to as "Carlo Porta al Verzee" ("Carlo Porta by the Verziere").
The witches of the Verziere
While the Verziere was celebrated as the "heart" of Milan by several poets and writers, it also had the reputation of being an unsafe district, populated by thieves, prostitutes, and tencitt (in Milanese, meaning "black stained people", in reference to the darsena workers who transported coal and wood). The darsena itself was so polluted that Franz Joseph I of AustriaFranz Joseph I of Austria
Franz Joseph I or Francis Joseph I was Emperor of Austria, King of Bohemia, King of Croatia, Apostolic King of Hungary, King of Galicia and Lodomeria and Grand Duke of Cracow from 1848 until his death in 1916.In the December of 1848, Emperor Ferdinand I of Austria abdicated the throne as part of...
, in 1857, ordered that it be filled in for hygienical reasons. Moreover, witches were believed to inhabit the district; their leader was known to live on the second floor of the "Cà dei Tencitt" ("House of the tencitt") building, in what is now Via Laghetto. In fact, the Verziere Column, topped with a cross and a statue of Jesus Christ the Redeemer
Redeemer (Christianity)
In Christian theology, Jesus is sometimes referred to as a Redeemer. This refers to the salvation he is believed to have accomplished, and is based on the metaphor of redemption, or "buying back". Although the New Testament does not use the title "Redeemer", the word "redemption" is used in several...
, was also erected with the purpose of opposing the malicious power of the "Verziere Witches".