Historical Sites

Medieval Loggia

The Medieval Loggia is one of Levanto’s architectural treasures. Mentioned as early as the 13th century, the site was rebuilt during the 16th century. Since July 20, 2007, the loggia has been awarded the title of "monument witness to culture and peace" by UNESCO. Originally the loggia had a commercial function, related to the nearby medieval port-canal, and then used as a municipal archive until the late 18th century. Overlooking a small square of the same name and raised about a meter above the street, the Loggia represents one of the few late medieval buildings of this kind preserved to date in Liguria and features elegant arches with Romanesque-style capitals. On the main façade, the one facing the square, the five low arched arcades of the structure, 17.5 meters long and ten meters wide, rest on four columns and two end pillars having Romanesque-style capitals and serpentine. In contrast, the two side walls, those facing Paraxo Street and salita San Giacomo, have a round-arched brick opening; the first wall still has three small windows, the second the painting of an orange rosette on a yellow background. In addition to the preservation of a fresco depicting the Annunciation of Mary, dated to the 15th century and the work of an unknown Ligurian-Lombard painter, there are also four white marble and slate plaques and as many ancient coats of arms of Levanto and the Republic of Genoa.

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