Piazza delle Erbe (Obstmarkt — literally "fruit market") is a compact square at the northern end of Via dei Portici, surrounded by arcaded buildings and a Neptune fountain at its centre. Fruit stalls, flower sellers, and food vendors fill the square most mornings; it's been a market since medieval times and remains the most vivid corner of the old town.
In the evening the restaurants and bars around the square fill up. The Neptune fountain (1745) is the focal point; locals use the square for everything from coffee to political demonstrations. The mix of German and Italian shop signs, the smell of apples and bread, and the animated street life give Piazza delle Erbe more character than the more formal Piazza Walther nearby.