architecture Architecture is the art and technique of designing and building, as distinguished from the skills associated with construction. It is both the process and the product of sketching, conceiving, planning, designing, and construction, constructi ...

, a loggia ( , usually , ) is a covered exterior gallery or corridor, often on an upper level, 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

column A column or pillar in architecture and structural engineering is a structural element that transmits, through compression, the weight of the structure above to other structural elements below. In other words, a column is a compression member ...

s or

arch An arch is a curved vertical structure spanning an open space underneath it. Arches may support the load above them, or they may perform a purely decorative role. As a decorative element, the arch dates back to the 4th millennium BC, but stru ...

es. John Fleming,

Hugh Honour Hugh Honour FRSL (26 September 1927 – 19 May 2016) was a British art historian, known for his writing partnership with John Fleming. Their ''A World History of Art'' (a.k.a. ''The Visual Arts: A History''), is now in its seventh edition and ...

and

Nikolaus Pevsner Sir Nikolaus Bernhard Leon Pevsner (30 January 1902 – 18 August 1983) was a German-British art historian and architectural historian best known for his monumental 46-volume series of county-by-county guides, ''The Buildings of England'' (195 ...

, ''The Penguin Dictionary of Architecture'', p. 200, 3rd edn, 1980, Penguin, ISBN 0140510133 An overhanging loggia may be supported by a baldresca. From the early

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire and ...

, nearly every Italian

comune A (; : , ) is an administrative division of Italy, roughly equivalent to a township or municipality. It is the third-level administrative division of Italy, after regions () and provinces (). The can also have the City status in Italy, titl ...

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". 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. They were especially popular in the 17th century and are prominent in Rome and

Bologna Bologna ( , , ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the Emilia-Romagna region in northern Italy. It is the List of cities in Italy, seventh most populous city in Italy, with about 400,000 inhabitants and 150 different nationalities. Its M ...

, Italy.

Definition of the Roman loggia

The main difference between a loggia and a

portico A portico is a porch leading to the entrance of a building, or extended as a colonnade, with a roof structure over a walkway, supported by columns or enclosed by walls. This idea was widely used in ancient Greece and has influenced many cu ...

is the role within the functional layout of the building. The portico allows entrance to the inside from the exterior and can be found on

vernacular Vernacular is the ordinary, informal, spoken language, spoken form of language, particularly when perceptual dialectology, perceived as having lower social status or less Prestige (sociolinguistics), prestige than standard language, which is mor ...

and small scale buildings. Thus, it is found mainly on noble residences and public buildings. A classic use of both is that represented in the mosaics of

Basilica of Sant'Apollinare Nuovo The Basilica of Sant'Apollinare Nuovo is a basilica church in Ravenna, Italy. It was erected by the Ostrogothic king Theodoric the Great as his palace chapel during the first quarter of the 6th century (as attested to in the ''Liber Pontificalis ...

of the Royal Palace. Loggias differ from verandas in that they are more architectural and, in form, are part of the main edifice in which they are located, while verandas are roofed structures attached on the outside of the main building."Definition of Loggia"
Lexic.us. Retrieved on 2014-10-24."Veranda"
Merriam-Webster Disctionary Online. Retrieved on 2014-10-24. A "double loggia" occurs when a loggia is located on an upper floor level above a loggia on the floor beneath.

Examples

Grinnell College Grinnell College ( ) is a Private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Grinnell, Iowa, United States. It was founded in 1846 when a group of Congregationalism in the United States, Congregationalis ...

Grinnell, Iowa Grinnell ( ) is a city in Poweshiek County, Iowa, United States. The population was 9,564 at the time of the United States Census, 2020, 2020 census. It is best known for being the home of Grinnell College, as well as being the location of the ...

, contains three distinct sets of dorms connected by loggias. The main quad on the

Stanford University Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University, is a Private university, private research university in Stanford, California, United States. It was founded in 1885 by railroad magnate Leland Stanford (the eighth ...

campus in

Stanford, California Stanford is a census-designated place (CDP) in the northwest corner of Santa Clara County, California, United States. It is the home of Stanford University, after which it was named. The CDP's population was 21,150 at the United States Census, ...

, prominently features loggias, as do the University Center and Purnell Center for the Arts at

Carnegie Mellon University Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) is a private research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. The institution was established in 1900 by Andrew Carnegie as the Carnegie Technical Schools. In 1912, it became the Carnegie Institu ...

, which frame a quad known as the Cut. * In the city centre of

Chester Chester is a cathedral city in Cheshire, England, on the River Dee, Wales, River Dee, close to the England–Wales border. With a built-up area population of 92,760 in 2021, it is the most populous settlement in the borough of Cheshire West an ...

in England, a number of timber-framed buildings dating from the

medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of World history (field), global history. It began with the fall of the West ...

to Victorian periods have first-floor loggias called the Chester Rows. * In Russia and Switzerland, a ''

loggia In architecture, a loggia ( , usually , ) is a covered exterior Long gallery, gallery or corridor, often on an upper level, sometimes on the ground level of a building. The corridor is open to the elements because its outer wall is only parti ...

'' can be a form of recessed balcony on a residential apartment building. * A loggia was added to the

Sydney Opera House The Sydney Opera House is a multi-venue Performing arts center, performing arts centre in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Located on the foreshore of Sydney Harbour, it is widely regarded as one of the world's most famous and distinctive b ...

in 2006. * At the archeological site of Hagia Triada on the

Greek Greek may refer to: Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor of all kno ...

island of

Crete Crete ( ; , Modern Greek, Modern: , Ancient Greek, Ancient: ) is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands, the List of islands by area, 88th largest island in the world and the List of islands in the Mediterranean#By area, fifth la ...

, several loggias constructed around 1400 BC have been located and whose column bases still remain.Vasilakis, Antonis. ''Phaistos''. Vasilis Kouvidis – Vasilis Manouras Editions, Iraklio, p. 118 File:10 2014 Trento-Castello Buonconsiglio-panorama Loggia veneziana gotica-Col Castion, Doss Trento, Mausoleo Cesare Battisti, Monte Soprasasso, Monte Terlago-ITALY- K-5 II -Tamron AF 17-50mm F2.8-photo Paolo Villa.jpg, The Venetian Gothic loggia of the Buonconsiglio Castle in Trento, Italy File:Edificio La Inmobiliaria (loggia).JPG, The loggia of the Edificio La Inmobiliaria in Buenos Aires, Argentina File:Santapollinarenuovo.JPG, A mosaic found in the nave of the 6th-century

Ravenna, Italy Ravenna ( ; , also ; ) is the capital city of the Province of Ravenna, in the Emilia-Romagna region of Northern Italy. It was the capital city of the Western Roman Empire during the 5th century until its collapse in 476, after which it served as ...

depicts a loggia. File:2014 02 13 14 09 50 Milano ITALY Pinacoteca di Brera loggia e colonnato del cortile Courtyard photo Paolo Villa FOTO3968.JPG, Loggia in the shape of a Venetian window, at the

Palazzo Brera Palazzo Brera or Palazzo di Brera is a monumental palace in Milan, in Lombardy in northern Italy. It was a Jesuit college for two hundred years. It now houses several cultural institutions including the Accademia di Brera, the art academy of t ...

in Milan, Italy File:Sárospatak - Vár - Perényi-szárny és Lórántffy loggia - panoramio.jpg, The 17th-century Renaissance Lorántffy loggia in the Castle of

Sárospatak Sárospatak (; ; Serbian language, Serbian: Муд Стреам; Slovak language, Slovakian: ''Šarišský Potok, Blatný Potok)'' History The area has been inhabited since ancient times. Sárospatak was granted town status in 1201 by Emeric ...

Definition of the Roman loggia

Examples

See also

References

Bibliography

External links