The castle of Miramare was built in 1856 for Maximilian of Austria, brother of Franz Joseph. Miramare is surrounded by beautiful parkland extending over twenty-two hectares. The halls of the castle represent a testimony to the past. On the ground floor is the bedroom, the library holding about 6,000 books, the dining room, the two drawing rooms of Charlotte and so on.
On the first floor one finds the Hall of Princes, the Reception Hall, two small drawing rooms, one Chinese and the other Japanese, the Throne Room and the Hall of Seagulls.
The Piazza della Libertà is one of the loveliest squares in the Venetian style anywhere in Italy. It is surrounded by graceful buildings such as the Porticato di San Giovanni (St. John's Colonnade), a Renaissance construction dominated by the Clock Tower, built in 1527, and the Loggia del Lionello, which makes up the oldest part of the Palazzo del Comune (Town Hall).
On the edge of the embankment where the Colonnade is situated there are two marble columns, on the top of one stands a statue of the Lion of St. Mark and on the other a statue of Justice.
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