The loggia dei Mercanti

Brief historical notes. The Loggia dei Mercanti, symbol of the mercantile soul of the city of Ancona, stands, in all its grandeur and richness of decorative details, in the city center, near the port, where, in ancient times, the merchants used to treat their trades. It was designed by the architect Giovanni Pace, known as Sodo, in 1442, and, subsequently, enriched with the external facade, characterized by three arches in Venetian Gothic style, work of the architect Giorgio da Sebenico; divided into three parts by four raised columns each ending with a pinnacle; each contains a statue representing the four cardinal virtues: Hope, Fortitude, Justice and Charity. In the upper part they host blind mullioned windows, and, in the central part, there is the statue of the heraldic knight of the Ancona coat of arms. The majestic interior hall is enriched with frescoes, stuccos and large stone statues, work of artists and architects of the caliber of the painter Pellegrino Tibaldi (to whom one of the internal rooms is named), the master of inlay Brozzo or the architect Girolamo di Giannetto.