Loggia dei Mercanti, Renaissance long gallery in Piazza della Libertà, Macerata, Italy
Loggia dei Mercanti is a Renaissance gallery with two floors and semicircular arches supported by columns, creating a covered passageway in the central square. The structure features an open layout that lets visitors walk freely and view the architecture from different angles.
Cardinal Legate Alessandro Farnese, who later became Pope Paul III, commissioned construction of this gallery between 1503 and 1505. The structure underwent substantial modifications during a 1905 regional exhibition, altering its original Renaissance character for contemporary use.
The loggia functioned as a trading hub where merchants displayed goods and grain was weighed for commerce. Visitors can still observe how the arches and columns shaped the space for these daily business activities.
The gallery is located on Piazza della Libertà in the heart of Macerata and is easily reached on foot. The open space beneath the arches provides shelter from the elements and is always freely accessible for walking and exploring.
The gallery was originally built with a public scale for weighing grain, offering insight into medieval trade regulation. This practical feature is a rare surviving example of Renaissance marketplace administration.
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