A piazza (IPA ) is an open square in a city, found in Italy. The term is roughly equivalent to the Spanish plaza. Piazza has taken some slightly different meanings in Britain and in United States. In Ethiopia, it is used to refer to a part of a city.

When the Earl of Bedford developed the first privately-ventured public square built in London, Covent Garden, his architect Inigo Jones surrounded it with arcades, in the Italian fashion. Aristocratic talk about the piazza was connected in Londoners' minds, not with the square as a whole but with the arcades, which were called the "piazzas".

In Britain piazza now generally refers to a paved open pedestrian space, without grass or planting, often in front of a significant building or shops.

More on [ Piazza ]

NPR Topics: Authors

Tracing The Roots Of 'Irish Madness'
Thu, 28 Aug 2008 13:32:00 -0400
For five generations, Patrick Tracey's family has been plagued by what he calls "a perfect storm of schizophrenia." In his new book, Stalking Irish Madness, he traces his family lineage — and the roots of the disease — all the way back to Ireland.
Writer Ethan Canin Tackles The American Dream
Tue, 26 Aug 2008 20:52:00 -0400
America America is an ambitious, old-fashioned novel about politics, power and class in a small, upstate New York town. The Nixon-era tale is Canin's sixth book.
Library Of America Honors Overshadowed Writer
Wed, 27 Aug 2008 16:05:00 -0400
During 40 years as fiction editor of the New Yorker magazine, William Maxwell worked with luminaries like Vladimir Nabokov and John Cheever. His own writings were often overshadowed by his job — but now they've been reissued by the Library of America to mark the centennial of his birth. NPR's Jacki Lyden finds out more about the man and his words.
A Nation Divided In 'Nixonland'
Thu, 21 Aug 2008 17:14:00 -0400
Rick Perlstein's book, Nixonland, combines an evocative trip through the 1960s and early 1970s with an assessment of the impact of Richard Nixon's political career. Perstein argues that many of the deep political divisions in modern American politics were defined by that period, and exploited effectively by Nixon.
Europe On The Cheap? Voila: A Grand Literary Tour
Wed, 20 Aug 2008 14:47:00 -0400
A dollar won't buy you much in Europe these days. But three books set on the continent offer a full immersion in "la dolce vita" — at minimal cost.
Lincoln's Strategy To Turn Rivals Into Allies
Wed, 20 Aug 2008 10:52:00 -0400
After he won the presidency, Abraham Lincoln brought three of his rivals for the Republican nomination into his cabinet. Historian Doris Kearns Goodwin's book, Team of Rivals, recounts the life and work of our 16th president — and the principal characters of his administration.

Subscribe to Authors RSS feed