Loggia della Mercanzia

The Loggia della Mercanzia, in Siena

The Loggia della Mercanzia stands at the Croce del Travaglio, the crossroads of the three great streets of Siena. The Siena audio-guided tour stops here to evoke this elegant building, a former meeting place of the merchants and commercial tribunal, in the heart of the town.

The loggia of the merchants at the crossroads of the town

You are here at the Croce del Travaglio, the crossroads where the three great streets of Siena meet, a true nerve centre of the town. It is there that rises the Loggia della Mercanzia, built in the fifteenth century as a meeting place of the merchants and a commercial tribunal. Under its great light stone arcades, people negotiated, signed contracts and settled commercial disputes, at the time when Siena was a great prosperous merchant and banking town. The building, which marks the transition between the late Gothic and the Renaissance, is adorned with statues of saints and figures, works of renowned Sienese sculptors, and finely worked marble benches. Its location, at the junction of the main arteries and near the Piazza del Campo, made it a must-see place of passage and business. A witness of the commercial power of the town, the Loggia della Mercanzia is a fine stop of the discovery of Siena.

What to see

You admire the elegant building with light stone arcades, built in the fifteenth century as a meeting place of the merchants and a commercial tribunal, at the Croce del Travaglio where the three great streets meet, adorned with statues of saints by Sienese sculptors and marble benches, a witness of the commercial power of the town. The Loggia della Mercanzia is a jewel of Siena. It is a stop to be discovered, to be explored on foot.

Practical information

The Loggia della Mercanzia lies at the Croce del Travaglio, near the Piazza del Campo, in the heart of Siena, reachable on foot. It is an open-air building, freely visible from the street. You discover it during a walk in the centre.

What was the Loggia della Mercanzia used for in Siena?

As a meeting place of the merchants and a commercial tribunal: under its great stone arcades, built in the fifteenth century at the Croce del Travaglio, people negotiated, signed contracts and settled disputes, at the time when Siena was a great merchant town.

Where is the Loggia della Mercanzia of Siena?

At the Croce del Travaglio, near the Piazza del Campo, in the heart of Siena, in Tuscany, in Italy.