Loggia del Pesce, Mannerist loggia in Piazza Ciompi, Florence, Italy
The Loggia del Pesce is a Mannerist structure with nine open arches supported by slender columns, standing freely in Piazza Ciompi in the Sant'Ambrogio neighborhood of Florence. The arches are decorated with medallions showing sea creatures, and the whole structure can be walked around on all sides.
Duke Cosimo I de' Medici commissioned Giorgio Vasari to design the structure in 1569 as a replacement for the fish market near Ponte Vecchio. It was taken apart and rebuilt stone by stone on Piazza Ciompi in 1956.
The medallions set into the spandrels of the arches each show a different fish or sea creature, recalling the original purpose of the structure as a covered fish market. Looking closely at each one reveals a small bestiary carved in stone.
The loggia stands in the open square and can be seen from all sides without any entry fee. A visit pairs well with the flea market that regularly takes place on Piazza Ciompi, particularly on weekends.
The original decorations were removed between 1885 and 1895 and taken to the San Marco museum, so the medallions visitors see on the loggia today are reproductions. The originals are kept inside a museum just a short walk from the city center.
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