Loggia degli Osii, Gothic loggia in Piazza Mercanti, Milan, Italy
The Loggia degli Osii is a Gothic loggia in Piazza Mercanti, Milan, with a three-story facade built in alternating black and white marble. The ground floor opens into a colonnaded portico resting on octagonal columns, and the upper levels are marked by triple mullioned windows.
The loggia was commissioned by Matteo I Visconti between 1316 and 1321 to house judicial and notary offices next to the Palazzo della Ragione. It was built during a period when the Visconti family was strengthening its grip on the city.
The marble balcony known as the parlera was the spot from which judges read out sentences to the people gathered in the square below. Justice was performed in public, making the law something ordinary people could witness with their own eyes.
The loggia sits directly on Piazza Mercanti, which is just a short walk from Piazza del Duomo and easy to reach on foot. The ground floor portico is open to passersby, making it straightforward to see the facade up close.
The building shows traces of Genoese architecture, which came to Milan through Valentina Doria, the wife of Matteo Visconti. This Ligurian influence makes the facade stand out quietly among the other medieval buildings on the square.
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