Maria Pisèta, the “Lady of the Flowers”

In the immediate post-war years, Piazza delle Erbe – Piazza delle Erbe (Vicenza) – was truly, and daily, a destination for countless customers, especially from the historic center. They came to buy vegetables, fruit, eggs, “osei da pelar o xa spelà” (little birds to pluck, or already plucked), and, on feast days and for the wealthiest, hens whose necks were twisted on the spot.

The street vendors each had their fixed place, while the occasional sellers were assigned their pitch by lottery at dawn by the Sanitary Brigade.

But no one ever dared say anything to Grandmother Maria, known as Pisèta, who every day occupied the corner of the pharmacy, right where the funnel-shaped staircase begins, leading behind the monument to Andrea Palladio.Her basket was filled with wildflowers — gathered who knows where — arranged in small bunches inside a wicker basket. Nonna Maria earned only a few coins, but I remember my mother often buying a little bouquet to brighten the kitchen table.

Over time, Nonna Maria became an institution, above all because she was repeatedly painted by Guerri da Santomio, who wandered through the historic center with his easel, capturing its scenes everywhere. Guerri rented a room from Signora Cabiatti in Contrà Do Rode, 31, where I also lived, and I often helped him carry his easel and stool — especially to the corner next to Grandmother Maria, because he insisted that her portrait was always in demand.

In those days, the center of Vicenza did not have only Guerri da Santomio. One could also meet Otello De Maria, sketching on sheets and sketchbooks (but never on canvas), a celebrated watercolorist and teacher at the School of Arts and Crafts; and Maestro Falaguerra, whose ink drawings (chine) later earned him a permanent exhibition in San Biagio.

Grandmother Maria and her basket of flowers remain a memory I will never forget, and even today, when I walk through Piazza delle Erbe, my eyes instinctively return to that corner — and it seems I can still see those wildflowers that are no longer there.

Maria Pisèta is only one of the many reflections of the historical, cultural and artistic heritage that lives and breathes within our Palladian Lands of Beauty.If you wish to truly step inside, here below you’ll find the passage that continues your exploration

in the Palladian Lands of Beauty

Discover Palladian Routes  

Article updated in 2026