Pig Market

The porcellino market, also called the new market, is one of the typical ones in the city of Florence, and we can find it in Piazza della Republica, close to the Ponte Vecchio and the Galleria degli Uffizi. Firstly, the New Market was predestined for the sale of silk and luxury items, it should be noted that one of the best-selling items in the stores were straw hats, but with the passage of time and eras, silk has given way to many leather objects, embroidery and a multitude of typical souvenirs of the city.

It is located in the Loggia del Porcellino, built in the mid-16th century about 150 meters from Piazza della Signoria. The Loggia was built between 1547 and 1551, under the direction of Giovan Battista del Tasso, it should be noted that the statues that can be found have been restored since 2001 and 2003 because it belongs to the historic center of Florence, which was declared a World Heritage Site in 1982.

Located within the heart of the city, this New Market is a must-see in Florence, and a very important detail cannot be overlooked. In the center of the building, although it is difficult to see due to the traffic of people, we can see the 'Piedra dello Scandalo', a place where debtors were punished in the city's Renaissance era. The punishment consisted of chaining the debtor, then lowering his pants and finally hitting his buttocks against the stone again and again. On the other hand, this stone also had another, less humiliating use, it reproduces a wheel of a 'carroccio', a device used in battles that was a platform on which the city flag was raised.