Loggia del Mercato Nuovo

Market · Santo Spirito ·

Loggia del Mercato Nuovo

Market · Santo Spirito ·

Covered market with leather goods, souvenirs, and luck-bringing boar

Information

Piazza del Mercato Nuovo, 5 R, 50123 Firenze FI, Italy Get directions

$$$

@afar

25,132 Postcards · 3,702 Cities

"Try your Porcellino Luck When you visit the area of the Piazza della Signoria and Piazza della Republica in Florence , don't miss this interesting attraction. From Piazza della Signoria, walk towards Piazza della Republica, and on the left side, you'll see Piazza del Mercato Nuovo, which means New Market. It is an open building which houses stalls that sell all sorts of stuff from leathers to clothes, to souvenirs. On one side of the building, you'll find the Fontana del Porcellino (Porcellino Fountain). Go there and rub the wild boar's nose for good luck. After that, put a coin on the tongue and let it fall with the water into the metal grate below it. It is believed that if your coin falls through below the grate, you will have good luck. I was observing this group of American tourists trying out their luck here. After a few failed tries, one of the woman in the group made a comment about her friends being cheapskates as they have put only a penny. Apparently, the way the tongue is angled, is that only heavier coins fall through the grate. And truly enough, when the woman put in a quarter instead of a penny, it fell through :-) It's one of those cheap thrills where you wish for good luck. Well, you never know! You might have the Porcellino luck :-)"

A Week in Florence and Tuscany

Mercato del Porcellino

@afar

25,132 Postcards · 3,702 Cities

A Perfect Day in Florence

Mercato del Porcellino

@jonas

168 Postcards · 7 Cities

firenze

Loggia del Mercato Nuovo

Guliola L.

Google

"The Pig of Florence" is the popular name for the bronze fountain "Little Boar" (Porcellino) in the square of the Straw Market (Mercato Nuovo) in the center of Florence. It is believed to bring good luck if you rub its snout and drop a coin into its mouth. If the coin falls into the narrow cracks, your wish will certainly come true. The fountain was created by the sculptor Pietro Tacca in the 17th century as a bronze copy of an ancient marble statue of a boar, which is kept in the Uffizi Gallery. In turn, the marble statue is a copy of an older Greek bronze work. So sweet and nice fountain. Totally free for visit,Definitely recommend.

Loo Y.

Google

Loggia del Mercato Nuovo is Cosimo I’s 16th century answer to bad weather and good trade: a stone canopy for luxury goods a few steps from Via Calimala and Ponte Vecchio. A rectangular grid of composite columns and arches lifts a low roof, with Medici diamond rings and the “Semper” motto stamped into the vault rosettes. Underfoot, the circular pietra dello scandalo marks the spot where insolvent or dishonest traders once had sentences delivered in public. The upper attic rooms, reached by staircases in the corner piers, were built to store notarial archives. Today the old silk and straw-hat market runs mainly on leather, scarves and souvenirs, still using Cosimo’s covered “shop floor” as a through-route between the river and Piazza della Signoria.

Daniel H.

Google

Beware of the cheap leather products at expensive prices. Take your time and don’t rush purchases or you might end up with a white label cheap manufactured souvenir or maybe actual Firenze top quality product. Marco Daniela Firenze products are poorly made and sold as expensive as actual good stuff like Motroni.

E Scott P.

Google

The Loggia del Mercato Nuovo sits just off the main streets, a covered Renaissance market space that still hums with trade. The open arches and carved columns give it a sense of old Florentine order, even as today’s stalls lean toward leather goods and souvenirs. This spot has been tied to commerce since the 1500s, originally serving as a market for silk and precious goods. The loggia’s most famous resident, the bronze boar “Il Porcellino”, has made this a traditional stop for luck-seekers for centuries. Even with the crowds and bustle, the architecture keeps the whole space grounded in its long role as a meeting point for travelers and locals alike.

paula pietra S.

Google

I think it’s a cool experience to visit the small statue there. From what I understood, you rub a coin on the outside of its mouth, then let it slide down its tongue, aiming for it to land in the lines below. Just be careful—there are people around who try to steal the coins, so make sure yours goes all the way inside. Aside from that, the area offers a wide variety of leather goods, including bags, belts, and wallets. Be sure to check that it’s real leather to avoid getting scammed. Lastly, I bought a bag from @famiglia Meucci, and they were amazing! They took the time to explain the entire process in detail. I’m leaving their Instagram here in case you want to check them out or get in touch.

Elie I.

Google

Lovely little market in the heart of Florence offering hand made leather goods, silk scarves and a few other types of items. There’s a brass statue of a hog that people were rubbing and slotting coins in its mouth.. not sure of the significance as there wasn’t a transcript explaining but it seemed like a fun tradition.

Google

Beautiful place, super crowded and full of vendors. Super cool to experience.

Joe In the U.

Google

A very busy place with tight aisles. Great to shop for leather and to people watch. Don't forget to rub the nose of the boar and drop a coin from his mouth into the coin catcher. It is silly but fun and you will see lots of people doing it. My wife and daughter both made purchases there so I guess the boar didn't help me.

Brianna R.

Yelp

We liked this market. Majority of the vendors offered leather goods or "Italia"/"Florence" merch. I found the prices to be very reasonable, especially for what seemed like high quality leather goods. We were on somewhat of a time crunch due to being on a shore excursion, but I could have spent a long time here.

Jason M.

Yelp

Mercato del Porcellino is best known in Firenze for two things - firstly, there is a statue of a pig that sits at the edge of the market in a fountain that is apparently good luck to rub and toss a coin in (hence the name of the market). Secondly, it's home to a large cluster of street vendors selling mostly leather goods along with a few other items. We thought it would be a good idea to explore this during our time in Firenze since we were looking for some gifts to bring home. In terms of content, what's being sold at Porcellino is really no different than what you see from vendors throughout the city - lots of leather goods such as bags, wallets, folios, belts, and catchalls. I also noticed a selection of scarves and other small accessories. What makes Procellino stand out is the sheer concentration of the vendors in one space, so you can take the time to explore one right after the other. Also, because they're so close the smell of the leather is really concentrated - I was taking deep sniffs as I was walking around the market. I ended up buying two belts, and my brother ended up getting a few gifts for the upcoming holidays. Prices aren't bad, you can pay face value/what they offer, but also be prepared to haggle and be charged different prices whether you pay with card or cash. Overall, it's definitely worth a stop while you're in Firenze - you never know what you may find - also pet the pig.

Jessica S.

Yelp

We spent a lot of time in and around this area, drawn to the shops and vendors and stalls and markets. It felt a lot like every other tourist-driven open-air market, except that the focus was heavily on genuine leather and the vendors spoke Italian. Still, we couldn't stop ourselves from coming back to this market and the shops around it every day we were in the city. We stopped in stalls, we browsed the wares, we walked by the pig (we never stopped there, though, the crowds were insane and there were way too many people rubbing up on the snoot for me to be like, "yeah, I want to touch that, too!") My husband did eventually end up buying a backpack from one of the stalls, and I grabbed some small and reasonably-priced wallets to bring home as gifts for friends and colleagues. If you're shopping for souvenirs or looking for things to bring back as gifts, you'll likely have no trouble finding what you need here.

Mel T.

Yelp

After Mercato Centrale, Mercato del Porcellino is another popular market to visit in Florence. It translates to 'Market of the Little Pig' because there is a bronze boar statue out in front. You're supposed to feed it a coin, and rub its snout for luck/make a wish. You can also do some shopping while you're at it. It's nowhere as big as Mercato Centrale, which can be a good thing. At Mercato Centrale, all the vendors are trying to get your business but here, you can kind of just walk around. There are way fewer stalls, so it's not as overwhelming. They do sell a lof of the same stuff as Mercato Centrale but you may find a few different items. I ended up seeing a wallet I liked/bought here, whereas I didn't see any I liked at Mercato Centrale. However, there are items that are more expensive at this market, so you really have to shop around, if you have the time. If you don't have time for both markets, I would say skip this one since the selection is smaller.

Benny H.

Yelp

Can't say much about the market, as we got here after it closed, but I can say something about the boar statue! It's pretty cool. In a city full of statues, this one stands out and is an awesome sight. Feed him a coin and rub his nose for good luck. Not much more I can say about that.

Kevin W.

Yelp

I am a sucker for animal statues. I came here to see il porcellino, the bronze boar statue. It is just a cute little random statue in the market but it was pretty popular. This is a small little outdoor market. It is covered. They have a good amount of vendors selling clothing accessories and other random stuff.

Maggi R.

Yelp

Not far from the Ponte Vecchio on the corner of Via Porta Rossa & Via Por Santa Maria Calimala, is the New Market. This arcade with its wide Renaissance-style arches, was built halfway through the 16th century to accommodate the silk and precious objects trade. Today, it is a lively marketplace crammed with stalls of souvenir sellers. This street market has been there for a very long time. Again, this is the place to try your hand at bargaining.

David S.

Yelp

Just to think, in this place here modern banking was invented. Well, not quite in this portico, which used to be the main market square in Florence, but in and around here (it was actually the Medici's, who issued Bonds to raise money to fight their wars). This place is still a marketplace, though it is actually more of a tourist site as opposed to actually being the centre of business and trade. It is still pretty impressive though, being a huge covered portico and all that.

Lisa G.

Yelp

GREAT place to do your shopping for leather handbags, scarves, ties and trinkets so long as you don't mind crowds and tight spaces. Try shopping here before going to the shops. Don't forget to compare prices and to negotiate! Someone nearby always has a better price!