Piazza della Mercanzia

The Piazza is actually formed by a crossroads between four streets (hence its old name "il Carrobbio"). The square is particularly beautiful due to the medieval noble buildings which face onto it. The most impressive of these is the Palazzo della Mercanzia which was the old meeting place for the city's merchants. Via Santo Stefano goes from the left-hand side of the building and there you can find the 12th-century Torre Alberici at n.4 and the beautiful 16th-century Palazzo Bolognini at n.9-11. The latter was built by Formigini and has a series of carved stones which were sculpted by Alfonso Lombardi and Niccolò da Volterra.