FLORENCE, ITALY – The famous market of San Lorenzo, in the center of the city, will not return in front of the basilica, a court in Florence ruled.
The market stalls for which Piazza San Lorenzo in Florence was once famous are to be moved from the quarter after classic goods ere replaced by cheap nicknacks, the Council of State ruled.
Italy’s highest administrative court upheld a ruling by the Tuscany regional administrative court (TAR) and rejected an appeal by street traders.
The Council of State said that “because of the general degradation of the market, its traditional character had been lost, as well as the balance with the context of the precious city of art, which ended up being damaged”.
The quarter, which is home to the iconic Medici chapels decorated by Renaissance genius Michelangelo, as well as the richly ornamented San Lorenzo Church, was long known for its market trade, especially in leather goods.
The Basilica di San Lorenzo is one of the largest churches of Florence, Italy, situated at the centre of the city’s main market district, and the burial place of all the principal members of the Medici family from Cosimo il Vecchio to Cosimo III.
It is one of several churches that claim to be the oldest in Florence; when it was consecrated in 393 it stood outside the city walls.