The Loggia del Mercato Nuovo (), popularly known as the Loggia del Porcellino (), is a building in

Florence Florence ( ; it, Firenze ) is a city in Central Italy and the capital city of the Tuscany region. It is the most populated city in Tuscany, with 383,083 inhabitants in 2016, and over 1,520,000 in its metropolitan area.Bilancio demografico an ...

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

. It is so called to distinguish it from the (; "old market") that used to be located in the area of today's Piazza della Repubblica.

History

The

loggia In architecture, a loggia ( , usually , ) is a covered exterior gallery or corridor, usually on an upper level, but sometimes on the ground level of a building. The outer wall is open to the elements, usually supported by a series of columns ...

was built around the middle of the 16th century in the heart of the city, just a few steps from the

Ponte Vecchio The Ponte Vecchio ("Old Bridge", ) is a medieval stone closed-spandrel segmental arch bridge over the Arno River, in Florence, Italy. The only bridge in Florence spared from destruction during the Second World War, it is noted for the shops bui ...

. Initially, it was intended for the sale of silk and luxury goods and then for the famous straw hats, but today mainly leather goods and souvenirs are sold. In the corner niches statues of famous Florentines were intended to be placed, but only three were made at the end of the 19th century: Michele di Lando by Ippazio Antonio Bortone,

Giovanni Villani Giovanni Villani (; 1276 or 1280 – 1348)Bartlett (1992), 35. was an Italian banker, official, diplomat and chronicler from Florence who wrote the ''Nuova Cronica'' (''New Chronicles'') on the history of Florence. He was a leading statesman ...

Gaetano Trentanove Gaetano Trentanove (February 21, 1858 – March 13, 1937) was an Italian and American sculptor. Biography Trentanove was born in Florence, Italy, a goldsmith's son. He studied at the Academy of Fine Arts of Florence, Florentine Academy; he was ...

, and

Bernardo Cennini Bernardo Cennini (; 1414/5 – c. 1498) was an Italian goldsmith, sculptor and early printer of Florence. As a sculptor he was among the assistants to Lorenzo Ghiberti in the long project producing the second pair of doors—the ''Doors of Paradis ...

by Emilio Mancini. The focal point of the loggia is the ''Fontana del Porcellino'' (; "fountain of the piglet"), actually a copy of a bronze

wild boar The wild boar (''Sus scrofa''), also known as the wild swine, common wild pig, Eurasian wild pig, or simply wild pig, is a suid native to much of Eurasia and North Africa, and has been introduced to the Americas and Oceania. The species is ...

Pietro Tacca Pietro Tacca (16 September 1577 – 26 October 1640) was an Italian sculptor, who was the chief pupil and follower of Giambologna. Tacca began in a Mannerist style and worked in the Baroque style during his maturity. Biography Born in Ca ...

from the sixteenth century marble. In 2008 the Pietro Tacca's masterpiece was replaced with a modern copy cast by

Ferdinando Marinelli Artistic Foundry The Ferdinando Marinelli Artistic Foundry (Fonderia Artistica Ferdinando Marinelli also known as FAFM) is one of the last remaining Florentine foundries, producing works in bronze utilizing the Renaissance technique of lost-wax. A large number ...

in 1998. The original marble of the ''Porcellino'' can be found at

Museo Bardini Bardini is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: *Aleksander Bardini (1913–1995), Polish theatre and opera director, actor, and professor *Gaetano Bardini (1926–2017), Italian tenor * Lorenzo Bardini (born 1996), Italian footballe ...

. Popular tradition has it that rubbing the nose brings fortune, so over time, the statue has acquired a certain shine in that spot. Visitors are encouraged to place a coin in the mouth of the boar after rubbing its nose, and superstition implies that the wish will be granted if the offering tumbles through the grate whence the water flows. The slope of the grate is such that most coins do fall through, and are collected by the city. There is a copy of the ''Porcellino'' outside

Sydney Hospital Sydney Hospital is a major hospital in Australia, located on Macquarie Street in the Sydney central business district. It is the oldest hospital in Australia, dating back to 1788, and has been at its current location since 1811. It first rece ...

and passers-by drop coins and rub its nose in the same way.

''Pietra dello scandalo''

Another oddity of the place is the so-called ''pietra dello scandalo'' (; "stone of shame"), a round spot marked in bicoloured marble at the centre of the

, which is only visible when no sales stalls are there. The design reproduces one of the wheels of a medieval

Carroccio A carroccio (; ) was a large four-wheeled wagon bearing the city signs around which the militia of the medieval communes gathered and fought. It was particularly common among the Lombard, Tuscan and, more generally, northern Italian municipali ...

, symbol of the

Florentine republic The Republic of Florence, officially the Florentine Republic ( it, Repubblica Fiorentina, , or ), was a medieval and early modern state that was centered on the Italian city of Florence in Tuscany. The republic originated in 1115, when the Flo ...

, on which the city's standard was hoisted daily. The Carroccio was placed on this spot and Florentine troops met around it before every battle. The spot was later chosen for another purpose, whence its alternative name ''pietra dell'acculata'' (; approximately "stone of the bum punishment"). During the Renaissance, the punishment of insolvent debtors included being chained to a post on this spot and then paddled repeatedly on the naked buttocks. The popular expression ("to have one's ass on the ground") and the word (a dialectal word for "misfortune") may have originated from this practice.Giusti G. (1903). ''Raccolta di proverbi toscani'', Ed. Successori Le Monnier.

Other images

Image:Florencja Il Porcelino RB.jpg, The bronze of the ''Porcellino''. Image:Loggia del Porcellino, la pietra dello scandalo.JPG, The ''pietra dello scandalo''. Image:Loggia del Porcellino by night.JPG, Night view, without sales stalls.

Sources

{{DEFAULTSORT:Loggia Del Mercato Nuovo Buildings and structures completed in the 16th century Loggias in Florence Renaissance architecture in Florence Tourist attractions in Florence 16th-century architecture in Italy

History

''Pietra dello scandalo''

Other images

See also

Sources