The heart of Piran is this sweeping oval piazza, ringed by Venetian Gothic and Baroque buildings and open to the sea on one side. A bronze statue of Giuseppe Tartini stands at the centre, violin in hand. The square is at its best in the early evening, when the restaurant terraces fill up and the light turns golden off the pale facades.
Tartini Square
Piran's elegant Venetian piazza with a statue of the devil's violinist
A story
The square is named after Giuseppe Tartini, who was born in Piran in 1692 and became one of the great baroque violinists. His most famous composition, the "Devil's Trill Sonata," was reportedly inspired by a dream in which the devil played him a piece of music — Tartini woke up and wrote down what he could remember. The bronze statue in the square's centre has stood here since 1896.