PIAZZA DEI MERCANTI

To the west of piazza Duomo lies one of the most evocative places in medieval Milan, piazza dei Mercanti. This square was the vital center of the city. Justice, trade and arbitration took place here. It was once enclosed by 4 gates named after the mercantile activities in which Milan excelled, and of which only the memory remains today in the names of the adjacent streets. All that remains of the original piazza is the Palazzo della Ragione, known as the "Broletto Nuovo", and the Loggia degli Osii. There are also a number of Baroque buildings, such as the Palazzo delle Scuole Palatine, built on the site of the Palatine School where St. Augustine and Virgil taught. Finally, the square is closed off by the ^15th-century Casa Panigarola, once the seat of the city's notaries.

Palazzo della Ragione (Broletto Nuovo). The Palazzo della Ragione (1233) was the administrative headquarters of Lombardy until 1770, and it was here that judges rendered reason(ragione) to citizens. Broletto derives from the word brolo, which in the early Middle Ages referred to a shady meadow where justice was usually administered. The facade of the palace is adorned with a bas-relief depicting a sow half-covered in wool, the animal which, according to legend, was responsible for the founding of Milan.

Casa Panigarola. This building of medieval origin, remodeled in Gothic style in the ^15th century, is also known as the Palazzo dei Notarii, as it was here that the administrative deeds of the Milanese seigniory were kept.

Palazzo delle Scuole Palatine. The present building dates from the ^17th century, but the original palace, built in the communal era, was the seat of Milan's schools of law, eloquence, medicine and mathematics.

Loggia degli Osii. To the left of the palace of the Palatine Schools is this black-and-white marble loggia, built in 1316 by Matteo Visconti, whose niches house original statues depicting Milan's patron saints and the Virgin Mary. The loggia was an important political venue in the Middle Ages, as ordinances were proclaimed from its balcony, known as the Parlera. Today, it is occupied by a credit institution.

Palazzo dei Giureconsulti. Built in 1561, this palace was the seat of the Milan Stock Exchange until 1864. Today, it houses the city's Chamber of Commerce. Dominating its facade, the Torre di Napo is a tower dating back to 1272, when Napo Torriani, Lord of Milan, had it built. It has since been remodeled in Baroque style.