Piazza Mercanti

Piazza Mercanti is a square in Milan, built in the 13th century. Before the construction of the square, an extensive tree-filled field used to occupy this area, just like in many other parts of the city.

It was the high official Oltrado da Tresseno, in 1228, who had the Broletto nuovo constructed on this site. This substituted the vecchio Broletto that was to be found in the Palazzo Reale. The Broletto is the place where judicial activities were carried out and for this reason the new building was called Palazzo della Ragione.

The Broletto was quickly surrounded by a series of merchants who, at that time, were beginning to organise themselves in corporations, and this place became the meeting point for the population and for merchants, hence their association to the name of the square.

As well as the Palazzo della Ragione, the large Piazza Mercanti nowadays hosts other buildings. The most antique is the Loggia degli Osii whose balcony was used to announce orders and sentences to the citizens, constructed in 1316 for want of Matteo Visconti. There is also the Casa Panigarola, the palazzo delle Scuole Palatine, and the Palazzo dei Giureconsulti, built in the second half of the 16th century and from which rises the civic tower with its clock, once dedicated to Napoleone della Torre.

Piazza mercanti is in the centre of Milan, close to Piazza Affari and to Piazza del Duomo. Even if it no longer represents the pulsating heart of the Milan life, Piazza Mercanti is surely a place rich in history that tourists must visit and photograph. Close to the square there are some hotels in which tourists can stay, however the number of hotels in and around Milan is very high and visitors can find accommodation here during their holidays in the Lombard capital.