The Loggia del Mercato Nuovo is located at the end of via Calimala on the way to Ponte Vecchio and it was built in 1550 to sell silk and precious items. During 1800 it changed its name into Straw Market because of the very famous straw hats. Nowadays it is a daily market for souvernir and sale of local products (especially leather).

On the floor, exactly in the middle of the loggia, there is a circle. Originally it was the place where the “Carroccio” (symbol of communal freedom) was taken to raise the city’s banner when winning a battle.
Later on however,  this stone started to be called in another way: the stone of the scandal or “dell'acculata” and was used to punish those who did not pay their debts in Renaissance Florence.
The punishment consisted in oblidging  the guilty ones to lower their trousers ad repeatedly beat thier “ass” (in vulgar Italian – culo) on the stone.
It seems that from this practice the popular expression  “che sculo” – bad luck - would be born.