Squares in Paris Clichy". The French use of the word "place", —— where, in the USA, the UK, Canada, etc., an English-speaker would use the word "square", —— follows the pattern established in other European languages: the Spanish use the cognate, "plaza" (like Madrid's "Plaza Mayor"); the Germans use "platz" (Berlin's "Potsdamer Platz"); the Italians use "piazza" (Rome's "Piazza Navona"); etc. So, in summary, the French have "squares" that might (or, more likely, might not) be called "squares" in English, and they use the word "place" to denote what an anglophone would almost certainly call a "square". To make things a bit more
Piazza San Marco Piazza San Marco Piazza San Marco (; ), often known in English as St Mark's Square, is the principal public square of Venice, Italy, where it is generally known just as "la Piazza" ("the Square"). All other urban spaces in the city (except the Piazzetta and the Piazzale Roma) are called "campi" ("fields"). The Piazzetta ("little Piazza/Square") is an extension of the Piazza towards the lagoon in its south east corner (see plan). The two spaces together form the social, religious and political centre of Venice and are commonly considered together. This article relates to both of them. A remark