Loggia del Porcellino
Loggia del Porcellino is the popular name of the loggia of the Mercato Nuovo in Florence, so called to distinguish it from that of the Mercato Vecchio, located in the area where Piazza della Repubblica now stands. It is located at the intersection of Via Calimala and Via Porta Rossa. The loggia was built between 1547 and 1551 to a design by Giovan Battista del Tasso, in a location in the heart of the city, a few steps from the Ponte Vecchio. Originally it was intended for the sale of silks and precious objects and, since the 19th century, the famous Florentine straw hats, while today it sells mostly leather goods and souvenirs. The focal point of the loggia has been, since 1640, the Fontana del Porcellino, in reality a bronze “wild boar”, a copy of the 17th-century work by Pietro Tacca today in the Stefano Bardini Museum and based on a marble work from the Roman era, now preserved in the Uffizi. The loggia and its statues were restored in 2001-2003.
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