Loggia dei Mercanti, Renaissance arcade in Piazza del Popolo, Ascoli Piceno, Italy.
The Loggia dei Mercanti is a Renaissance arcade in Ascoli Piceno featuring five arches supported by Corinthian columns with leaf-decorated capitals. The stone structure runs along the right side of the San Francesco church and connects different parts of the square.
The Wool Merchants Guild commissioned this arcade, which began construction under Bernardino di Pietro da Carona and was completed in 1514 by Francesco Rubei. The building arose during a period of considerable commercial importance for the city.
The name comes from the merchants and traders who conducted business here. It served as a key spot for commercial activity and trade exchanges in the medieval and Renaissance city.
The structure sits at the intersection of ancient Roman roads and links Corso Mazzini with Piazza del Popolo in the center of Ascoli Piceno. The location is easily accessible on foot and lies amid the main squares and streets of the old town.
Inside the arcade is a travertine plaque from 1568 with measurement standards for bricks carved into the stone that served as reference norms for brick production. These marks show how precisely Renaissance craftsmen wanted to control their manufacturing.
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