Padua. Hall of Justice
Sitting between the marketplaces of Piazza delle Erbe and Piazza della Frutta is the large medieval hall of the Palazzo della Ragione. Originally Padua's law-courts, the building consists of one vast hall - known as il Salone - with a loggia each side. The historic markets extend under the building - a good place to buy a snack or picnic. The Salone once had a ceiling (later destroyed by fire) covered with stars painted by Giotto and his workshop. Entering via an external staircase and loggia, you find yourself in a lofty dark space. Once your eyes have accustomed themselves to the gloom, fantastical frescoed details begin to appear on the walls. One end of the room is dominated by a huge wooden horse, modelled on Donatello's equestrian statue outside Il Santo. At the other end is a stone block, the thirteenth-century 'Stone of Shame' where bankrupt debtors were compelled to sit in their underwear and state that they renounced their possessions before they were banished from Padua. If they were caught here again, they had to go through the same process while having three buckets of water poured over their heads.