Piazza della Cisterna | San Gimignano (Italy)
“Triangular plazas are always unattractive, of course, because in them any deception of the eye is impossible, and the building lines of the houses which face on them intersect awkwardly.”
Camillo Sitte (1889)
Much has been written about square shapes, and the most common form resembles a rectangle rather than a perfectly square one, which is not advisable. Perfectly square squares lack the necessary reference points to orient oneself within them.
Triangular squares are even strongly discouraged. According to Sitte, triangular plazas consistently prove unattractive and therefore unpleasant places to be. This arises from the difficulty in accurately gauging depth within a triangular space, making it challenging to comprehend the space’s characteristics and how they change while navigating the square. This lack of clarity results in an uncomfortable experience.
Consider Piazza della Cisterna in San Gimignano as an example of a triangular square. As a result of that it is part of a cluster of several small squares and main roads, the negative impact of its triangular shape is less pronounced.