Logge di Banchi da Ponte di Mezzo (L. Corevi, Comune di Pisa)
Logge di Banchi (Banchi Loggias), via di Banchi
Logge di Banchi da Ponte di Mezzo (M. Del Rosso, Comune di Pisa) In 1925, during the excavations for the creation of a daytime hotel, a treasure of ancient and medieval gold coins buried in the thirteenth century was found under the loggia. Only a few were recovered, now preserved in the Museum of San Matteo, others were stolen when they were found. The Cobianchi day hotel, now home to the public bathrooms, was inaugurated in 1926: from the large entrance hall, furnished with mirrors and velvet sofas, the visitors accessed two long corridors that housed various perpendicular rooms: the shower, bath and toilet, divided between 1st and 2nd class. In other rooms various services were offered to customers: barber, manicure, pedicure, laundry and ironing service. All the interiors were decorated with white and turquoise glass paste tiles, designed with geometric shapes, the appliances were in ceramic and the taps in brass. Today only a shadow of that beauty remains. The flooding of the Arno in 1966 caused considerable damage, which led to the closure of the day hotel. Only in 2000 the premises were restored.
