Between the Arcades and the Via Argentieri road there's the only Renaissance building of the town, the Mercantile Palace, built according to plans of the architect Francesco Perotti from Verona between 1708 and 1727. Until the middle of the 19th century, it served as Market Court, a public office established in 1635 by Claudia de Medici to resolve disputes between traders from different countries. Afterwards - until 1979 - it was the seat of the Bolzano Chamber of Commerce.

Nowadays, the palatial building with its winding staircase outside houses the Mercantile Museum. It shows the stunning beauty of the palace with its precious original furniture - the magnificent stairway inside, the Assembly Hall, the Council Room and the Hall of Honour - as well as innumerable objects, paintings, original documents and cloth samples. They tell about the strategic role of Bolzano as commercial town and important trading centre between the North and the South, between Central Europe and Italy. By the way: On special occasions such as the International Museum Day the Mercantile Palace opens also its three medieval cellars. Impressive!