Pisa Museo Aperto

Location(s)

In the Middle Ages many covered loggias, usually made of wood, were located in the S. Martino district, these loggias used to house the commerce of products coming from all over the Mediterranean area.
The Logge di Banchi  were built at the beginning of the 17th century, by order of Grand Duke Ferdinando I. Bernardo Buontalenti, a Florentine architect, designed this covered loggia.

The choice  for the location, precisely at the junction of three important streets (Via S. Martino, Via del Carmine and Via Toselli) observed a criterion of continuity with the past, because here, for many centuries, the stands of the money-exchangers and of the money-lenders stood, as well as many fondachi (multipurpose commercial buildings) of the merchants and several workshops. This crossroad on the left bank of the river, near Ponte di Mezzo, was traditionally one of the most lively spots of the commercial life of the city. To make room for the new massive loggia the age-old loggia was demolished. Here, as a chronicler affirms, all the merchants and the aristocracy used to gather. But substantially the new loggia did not modify the existing topographic structure of this area. Via del Carmine, which had been named after the church which stood along its axis (today Corso Italia), ran along the longest side of the loggia, linking it to Ponte di Mezzo and its landing-stage. This new building, with its ample monumental arches, symbolized the transfer of the administrative centre of the city from the right to the left bank of the river, from the point of view of the urban plan. A transfer which became more evident with the use as municipal offices of Palazzo Gambacorti and Palazzo Pretorio.

The building works were carried out between 1603 and 1605. The Logge di Banchi, very similar to the Loggia del Porcellino in Florence, was intended to be the place for the commerce of clothing, silk and wool, which had special franchises in Pisa. But in 1604, the upper part of the loggia was given to the Ufficio dei Fiumi e dei Fossi for its archives.
During the 17th century the group of medieval houses, which was still a shield between the loggia and the Arno, was demolished. In this way, the shape of Piazza XX Settembre gradually took its final form.

In the 18th century the shape of the loggia was modified, by building on its roof a new construction which was used to house the Communal Archives, this loggia is directly connected to the Palazzo del Comune by a foot-bridge.

Recently the loggia has returned to its original commercial use thanks to the markets which periodically take place under its arches, for example during the Christmas period.