The beating heart of the city centre since the earliest centuries: this is the meaning of the majestic Piazza Aurelio Saffi. Creating a kind of theatre of city life are its porticoed sides, like wings representing the flow of the centuries. Among the most prestigious monuments that characterise the square are the Palazzo Comunale and the Torre Civica, the Palazzo del Podestà (mid-15th century), the Palazzo Albertini (early 16th century); the Abbey of San Mercuriale (1176 – 81), dominated by its imposing bell tower (over 70 metres high) and the 20th-century Palazzo delle Poste.
The centre of the square is dominated by the statue of Aurelio Saffi.