Goethe's Tree

Walking through the historical centre of Verona, in front of Dante's solemn gaze, it is possible to come across strange faces with their mouths wide open, placed on the wall of the Palazzo della Ragione.

These works are not the effigy of a noble family, but "letterboxes" of medieval origin to receive complaints made by citizens to the local magistracy called "Boche per le Denunzie Segrete", or in Venetian "Boche de leòn". It is assumed that they were introduced after the attempted coup by Baiamonte Tiepolo in 1310.

The mouths present in Verona, of eighteenth-century origins, were devoted to two uses: the one on the side in Via Dante collected complaints against prohibited practices, conventioneering and silk smugglers ("Denoncie secrete contro contra contrabandieri di sede e chi tenasse cavaleri o fornelli da tirar seda senza bolleta"), while the one on the facade of Piazza dei Signori and connected to the offices of the Tax Chamber was dedicated to collecting complaints against usurers ("Denunzie secrete contro usurarj e contrati usuratici di qualunque sorte"). These mouths, however, are not the only ones present in the Veronese territory: in the past there were mouths in the fortresses of Peschiera and Legnago, but the only ones still visible are in Cologna Veneta in the Scaligeri Castle and in Sanguinetto, in the inner courtyard of the castle.

The complaint, in order to be considered valid, had to have the support of substantial evidence and the corroboration of at least three witnesses. Failing that, the complaint was burned. Complaints could be made against various types of crime, from tax evasion to smuggling, but the most serious were allegations of treason and conspiracy against the State.