Description
Palazzo Vecchio is Florence's town hall and one of the most famous civic palaces in the world. It stands in Piazza della Signoria, with its tower rising above the rooftops: it is one of the symbols of the city, and inside it is also a museum.
It was born in 1299 as the Palazzo dei Priori, probably designed by Arnolfo di Cambio: a stone fortress to protect the magistrates in turbulent times. Then it became the Palazzo della Signoria, after the name of the city's government.
In 1540 Cosimo I de' Medici made it his home and called it the Ducal Palace. Vasari enlarged it until it was double the size. When in 1565 the court chose Palazzo Pitti, this one simply became the "old" palace.
The great Hall of the Five Hundred is the most imposing room, with Michelangelo's Genius of Victory. Not far away, the Studiolo of Francesco I is a windowless room covered in paintings, and the Hall of Maps was the grand dukes' wardrobe.
There is also Donatello's Judith, the original, brought in from the square. From 1865 to 1871 the palace was also the seat of the Parliament of the Kingdom of Italy, and today it houses the mayor.
The palace is a block of rusticated stone, with the tower. In 1342-43 the Duke of Athens had it enlarged, giving it the look of a fortress, and from 1540 Cosimo I enlarged it again, until it was four times its original size. Inside are three courtyards, the first by Michelozzo.
The museum spreads over several floors. On the first floor, besides the Hall, are the monumental quarters, the rooms named after the Medici and Leo X. On the second floor are the apartments of Eleonora of Toledo and the Hall of Maps.
The tower, about 94 meters tall, is not at the center of the facade. The reason is practical: it rests on an older tower-house, the Vacca one, which the Florentines called that for its big bell.
In the Hall of the Five Hundred there is also a mystery. Leonardo and Michelangelo had begun two painted battles there, never finished. When Vasari redid the hall, were they covered over or destroyed? No one knows for sure.
Don't miss
• The Hall of the Five Hundred.
• The Studiolo of Francesco I.
• The Hall of Maps.
• Arnolfo's Tower.
Did you know?
• On the right corner of the facade there is a face carved in the stone: tradition attributes it to Michelangelo.
• Beneath the palace, the remains of the theater of Roman Florentia have come to light.
• Cosimo the Elder and Savonarola were both locked up in the tower.
It was born in 1299 as the Palazzo dei Priori, probably designed by Arnolfo di Cambio: a stone fortress to protect the magistrates in turbulent times. Then it became the Palazzo della Signoria, after the name of the city's government.
In 1540 Cosimo I de' Medici made it his home and called it the Ducal Palace. Vasari enlarged it until it was double the size. When in 1565 the court chose Palazzo Pitti, this one simply became the "old" palace.
The great Hall of the Five Hundred is the most imposing room, with Michelangelo's Genius of Victory. Not far away, the Studiolo of Francesco I is a windowless room covered in paintings, and the Hall of Maps was the grand dukes' wardrobe.
There is also Donatello's Judith, the original, brought in from the square. From 1865 to 1871 the palace was also the seat of the Parliament of the Kingdom of Italy, and today it houses the mayor.
The palace is a block of rusticated stone, with the tower. In 1342-43 the Duke of Athens had it enlarged, giving it the look of a fortress, and from 1540 Cosimo I enlarged it again, until it was four times its original size. Inside are three courtyards, the first by Michelozzo.
The museum spreads over several floors. On the first floor, besides the Hall, are the monumental quarters, the rooms named after the Medici and Leo X. On the second floor are the apartments of Eleonora of Toledo and the Hall of Maps.
The tower, about 94 meters tall, is not at the center of the facade. The reason is practical: it rests on an older tower-house, the Vacca one, which the Florentines called that for its big bell.
In the Hall of the Five Hundred there is also a mystery. Leonardo and Michelangelo had begun two painted battles there, never finished. When Vasari redid the hall, were they covered over or destroyed? No one knows for sure.
Don't miss
• The Hall of the Five Hundred.
• The Studiolo of Francesco I.
• The Hall of Maps.
• Arnolfo's Tower.
Did you know?
• On the right corner of the facade there is a face carved in the stone: tradition attributes it to Michelangelo.
• Beneath the palace, the remains of the theater of Roman Florentia have come to light.
• Cosimo the Elder and Savonarola were both locked up in the tower.