Ferro (architecture)

A ferro (plural ferri) or ferro da facciata is an item of functional wrought-iron work on the façade of an Italian building. Ferri are a common feature of Medieval and Renaissance architecture in Lazio, Tuscany and Umbria. They are of three main types: ferri da cavallo have a ring for tethering horses, and are set at about 1.5 metres from the ground; holders for standards and torches are placed higher on the façade and on the corners of the building; arpioni have a cup-shaped hook or hooks to support cloth for shade or to be dried, and are set near balconies.^[1]

Ferro da facciata
Ferro in Piazza del Duomo, Florence
Material	Wrought iron

In Florence, ferri da cavallo and arpioni were often made to resemble the head of a lion, the symbolic marzocco of the Republic of Florence.^[2] Later, cats, dragons, horses and fantastic animals were also represented.^[2][3]

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  Bargello, Florence
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  Ferro from two ages, Palazzo degli Altoviti, Florence
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  Castello di Montalto, Castelnuovo Berardenga, Siena
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  Palazzo Morozzi Dilaghi, Florence
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  Ferro in Arezzo
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  Niccolò Grosso - "Il Caparra" Palazzo Strozzi c.1500
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  "Ferro" in Pisa, Italy

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  Standard-holder, Rome
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  Standard-holder, Borgo San Lorenzo
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  Arpione, Palazzo degli Altoviti, Florence
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  Torch-holder, Via de' Giraldi, Florence