7 - Merchants' Loggia

Ever since the end of the 14th century, the merchants of a leading port city like Ancona had decided to give themselves a place of association as soon as possible: from the terrace of the building they would be able to see the ships arriving with their precious cargoes, and in the covered loggia they would display their goods and haggle over sales. To see it you have to go to Via della Loggia, a small narrow street next to Piazza della Repubblica, but it is worth the stop. The 15th-century Loggia dei Mercanti stands out for its architectural prominence and decoration.

The floral Gothic style of the reliefs on the façade has a Venetian flavour and, in fact, they are due to the intervention of a Dalmatian artist: Giorgio Orsini da Sebenico. The scenographic programme that the merchants asked for was precise and self-celebratory. The statues of Hope, Fortitude, Justice and Charity tower above the central one of the prancing knight, a symbol that features in the city's coat of arms.

The building has not always been lucky. In the 16th century a fire caused serious damage, which was, however, remedied by the redesigning of the lower part of the façade by a great architect of the time, Pellegrino Tibaldi: his are the Mannerist masks towards the street, as well as the elevation towards the sea for the unloading of goods and the redesigning of the interior. The bombings of World War II then destroyed much of the ceiling and the paintings on it. However, the entire ensemble was restored on behalf of the Chamber of Commerce, which is rightly the heir of the medieval merchants.