User:AnnaZenti/Corte Sgarzerie

Corte Sgarzerie is a monumental complex located in the heart of the old town of Verona, at a short distance from Porta Borsari street and Piazza delle Erbe, consisting of the square by the same name, a late-medieval loggia and the Capitolium archaeological site. It's a place deeply rooted to the processing of wool, as the toponym itself attests: "sgarzarie" is in fact a Veronese term that refers to "scardasserie": places dedicated to the carding activity.

History
During the thirteenth century the activity of the Veronese wool industry increased significantly, to the point that the techniques of production and the produce became highly sought after in several markets of northern and central Italy.

During the principality of Mastino II della Scala, activity and production increased significantly, and several measures were taken to better organize the whole manifacture effort, which was concentrating in particular at Corte Sgarzerie. Therefore, it was most likely during his government that the so-called Mangano loggia was built, it's located in the center of the square and still characterizes it today: this loggia was in fact necessary to give new spaces to wool workers, who under it could measure, weigh and stamp products and haggle.

Description An inscription placed on the entrance arch to the court recalls the historical importance that this place had for the city: "Here were the wool mills where the Common Veronese had so much luster and power from the third to the fourteenth century of the vulgar era". In the center, occupying almost entirely the small square, is the Mangano loggia, characterized by the columns made of the red marble of Verona, that support the upper floor, divided into various rooms currently home to several organizations.

From the court it's possible to access the underground site of the Capitolium, the main temple of Roman Verona, dedicated to Jupiter, Minerva and Juno. Between 1988 and 2004 under the loggia an archaeological excavation was carried out that revealed a section of the cryptoporticus that surrounded the temple on three sides, as well as the remains of a glacier, a cellar and the foundations of a medieval tower house.