The Renaissance arcaded loggia was built in 1502; decorated by a ceramic glaze frieze executed from 1525 by Santi Buglioni with tondos by Giovanni della Robbia.

The name derives from the old custom of placing alms in a hollow tree trunk. In 1345 there were ongoing works for a new cloister, oratory and domus (residence for women). It became the main city's hospital after the donations received in the wake of the Black Death of 1348. The hospital administrators commissioned the Florentine architect Michelozzo di Bartolomeo to restore the building; he provided designs (1451) but was not closely involved in the building. The Renaissance arcaded loggia was built in 1502; decorated by a ceramic glaze frieze executed from 1525 by Santi Buglioni with tondos by Giovanni della Robbia.