PLACES

Braccio Fortebracci
Loggia

The architectural structure of the Loggia creates, at its uppermost level, a panoramic terrace from which visitors can enjoy an exclusive view and a unique perspective over Piazza IV Novembre, with its palaces, monuments, and Corso Vannucci. The terrace runs alongside the southern side of the Cathedral, bringing visitors closer to artistic and architectural elements that would otherwise remain distant, such as the wooden sculpture of the Christ of Salt, the stained-glass windows, and the statue of Pope Julius III.

BRACCIO
LOGGIA

Braccio Fortebracci da Montone (1368–1424) was a determined and tenacious mercenary leader who achieved great success, gathering under his banner numerous men-at-arms known as the Bracceschi. Braccio succeeded in conquering a vast territory across central Italy, extending as far north as Bologna, and in 1416 he was appointed Lord of Perugia following his victory over Carlo I Malatesta, who had been named by the Church as the “Defender of Perugia” after the death of the city’s previous protector, Ladislaus, King of Naples (1414).

In 1423, the year before his death, Braccio commissioned the Bolognese architect Fioravante to construct a loggia overlooking Piazza IV Novembre, connected to a staircase intended to lead to his noble residence.

The noble palace also occupied the area now known as Via Maestà delle Volte, but in 1534 it was destroyed by a great fire, so much so that it became known as the “burnt palace”.
An important testimony to the original structure survives in the frescoes by Benedetto Bonfigli inside the Chapel of the Priors, which offer a vivid representation of the architecture of Braccio’s noble palace. Built against the southern side of the Cathedral of San Lorenzo, the Bracceschi Loggia originally consisted of five bays supported by octagonal pillars and pointed arches. Within the four arches that survive today, traces of the dodecagonal bell tower once adjoining the medieval cathedral — demolished in the mid-fourteenth century — are still visible. Beneath the second arch stands a copy of the Stone of Justice, bearing an inscription commemorating the extinction of the city’s public debt in 1233.

The Loggia di Braccio represents the most significant testimony to the leader’s presence in the city and remains another historical element within the Island of San Lorenzo, the architectural complex that developed around the Cathedral and evolved over the centuries.