Piazza dei Mercanti and Medieval Milan

Piazza dei Mercanti

The charming Piazza dei Mercanti (Place des Marchands in French) is a medieval square in Milan, one of the few notable remnants of that era in the city, located between Piazza Duomo and Piazza Cordusio.
It was laid out in the 13th century with the construction of the Broletto Nuovo in 1233, which became the Palazzo della Ragione, and which was the seat of the commune until 1789, having a majestic great hall, the Sala della Ragione. Later the other buildings were constructed, such as the Loggia degli Osii in 1316, the loggias from which edicts and sentences were proclaimed, the Casa Panigarola of the 15th century, the Palazzo delle Scuole Palatine of the 17th, or the Palazzo dei Giureconsulti of the 16th reconstructed later and currently located in Via Mercanti.

The arcades were called the “gallery of whispers” (galleria dei sussurri in Italian), because due to the shape of the vaults, the voice could reach the opposite side of the square. Tradition holds that spies, merchants or discreet lovers communicated in this way without being seen together.
In the center of the square there is a 16th-century well topped by two 18th-century columns.
It was previously located on the other side of the square where the “pietra dei falliti” stood, the stone of the “ruined” where those guilty of bankruptcies were exposed to the public with their backsides bare before being taken to prison.
Part of this square is found nowadays along Via Mercanti.

Other medieval places nearby

A few steps south of the Duomo, incorporated into the Royal Palace, is the 14th-century brick bell tower of San Gottardo in Corte, the former palatine church of which, besides this tower, only the apse remains.

Gallery

Map

Information

• Wikipedia page: en.wikipedia.org
• Tourist portals: www.in-lombardia.it