Piazza dello Scoglio used to be called Piazza dei maiali (pigs), because they used to have animal markets there, especially pigs. At that time the pig was a very important source of food, and like the other animals (rabbits, chickens, …) it was sold alive. Cows, on the other hand, were used to work the fields and also for milk. Furthermore, pigs gave birth to many puppies, cows to few.
The market was held outside the castle walls: the one where everything was sold, except animals, was in Piazza Mercatale. Those who made the market had to pay a fee to the customs, located at the beginning of Ponte Vecchio. In Piazza dello Scoglio there were many activities, in addition to the old animal market.
Where there is now the cat colony, inside there was a large workshop where copper and other metals were worked; with copper they used to make copper to heat water, mezzine, a kind of jug to take water, etc.
In the pink house in the square there lived a shoemaker; under the house with the number ten there was a small butcher’s shop; next to it there was a carpenter.
At the beginning of the square there was the cleaning of the irises: some ladies would sit with a basket and the iris and then peel it.
There is a huge rock in the square that gives it its name today. It is made of stones from the Ciuffenna torrent, called pills. Under the square there used to be a small gully. It is surrounded by houses made of stone and from the old walls you can glimpse the old entrance to the castle. There are four entrances: the one from the old bridge, the one from Via del Mulino, the one from Piazza Matteotti and the more recent one from the scalacce. It has changed a little over the years but has retained a special and magnificent appearance.
Scuola Aperta al Mondo: Le antiche piazze di Loro Ciuffenna, storia e storie. Scuola Primaria di Loro Ciuffenna, IC Venturino Venturi.
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