Piazza Mercato delle Scarpe

This square, set at an important intersection of several streets leading to the town, was once a thriving area of trade.
According to tradition, the building with its 13th century façade (now the funicular station, opened in 1887) was the seat of the Shoemakers’ Guild, from which the square takes its name, Shoe Market Square.
In the medieval period, craftsmen and shopkeepers were organized into guilds. Their work was regulated by statutes approved by the Town Council. Several of these old statutory laws are conserved in the Civica Biblioteca (Public Library).