Troughs in Genoa.
The word trògolo or truògolo means "trough." The plural is tr(u)ògoli. It is a large trough or basin used to collect rain water for various purposes, like doing laundry.
In 1346 the visiting Swedish woman who would become Saint Brigid prophesied possible future doom to the city of Genoa. When the plague came in 1656, troughs, like the ones now protected under the enclosure, were used to wash laundry and prevent contagion from the regular water supply.
The square was named after her and the "Troughs of Saint Brigid" became a legend in the city. The laundry regularly hung out over the piazza is more a tribute to the saintly protectress than the washing of clothing. This neighborhood figured importantly in René Clément's wonderful French-Italian film noir of 1949, The Walls of Malapaga, with Jean Gabin and Isa Miranda.
