Loggia

For other uses, see Loggia (disambiguation).
The Renaissance three-storey arcade loggia of the City Hall in Poznań, Poland, served representative and communication purposes.
Villa Godi by Palladio. The portico is the focal point in the center with loggias used at each side of the structure as a corridor.

In architecture, a loggia (/ˈloʊdʒ(i)ə/ LOH-j(ee-)ə, usually UK: /ˈlɒdʒ(i)ə/ LOJ-(ee-)ə, Italian: [ˈlɔddʒa]) is a covered exterior gallery or corridor, usually on an upper level, but sometimes on the ground level of a building. The corridor is open to the elements because its outer wall is only partial, with the upper part usually supported by a series of columns or arches.[1] An overhanging loggia may be supported by a baldresca.[2]

From the early Middle Ages, nearly every Italian comune had an open arched loggia in its main square, which served as a "symbol of communal justice and government and as a stage for civic ceremony".[3]

In Italian architecture, a loggia is also a small garden structure or house built on the roof of a residence, open on one or more sides, to enjoy cooling winds and the view.[4] They were especially popular in the 17th century and are prominent in Rome and Bologna, Italy.

  1. ^ John Fleming, Hugh Honour and Nikolaus Pevsner, The Penguin Dictionary of Architecture, p. 200, 3rd edn, 1980, Penguin, ISBN 0140510133
  2. ^ Alamán, Ana Pano (2020). The Language of Art and Cultural Heritage: A Plurilingual and Digital Perspective. Cambridge Scholars Publishing. p. 27. ISBN 978-1-5275-4798-8. Retrieved 3 August 2020.
  3. ^ Ackerman, James S. (1966). Palladio. Harmondsworth: Penguin. p. 120. ISBN 9780140208450.
  4. ^ John Fleming, Hugh Honour and Nikolaus Pevsner, The Penguin Dictionary of Architecture, p. 200, 3rd edn, 1980, Penguin, ISBN 0140510133