The Palazzo della Mercanzia, by name, may give the impression of having been the old Market Square of the Italian city of Bologna. However, between the fourteenth and eighteenth centuries, this palace, which is also known as the Loggia dei Mercanti, was the Mercantile Forum under the auspices of the University. The Palazzo della Mercanzia is from the 14th century and its architecture is in the Gothic style.
The Mercantile Forum was a Mercantile Court whose responsibility was to attend and resolve all commercial disputes at that time. Since 1797, it is the seat of the Chamber of Commerce.