The current via Cavour was once called Via nuova dei Beccaj. This is the area, where once the Church of San Giorgio (Piazzale Cesare Battisti area) and the Palazzo dei Beccaj were also located, to which most of the beccherie (butcher’s shops) were moved to from Piazza Grande after 1347, to make room for the fortification of the square. The street also housed the abattoir (which occupied roughly the corner between via Cavour and piazzale Battisti), the Officium Schanaturae (the Slaughterhouse Office), home to slaughtering inspectors, located on the corner between Borgo del Governo and Via dei Beccaj (corner of via Mameli – Cavour), and the public scales for the use of the community. The Canal of Butchers ran along the length of the street and was used only to carry away slaughterhouse waste.