Palazzo Vecchio
Il Palazzo Vecchio, The Old Palace, is probably the second most well known landmark in the skyline of Florence. The building was built in the late 14th century, and added onto in the two subsequent centuries, and houses the city government of Florence. The building is a unique combination of government and art, one that only an Italian city steeped in the Renaissance could pull off.
In modern times the building is probably most well known as the seat of the Medici family, and having the tower cell that held Savonarola in 1498 before his famous execution out on the piazza. It currently still holds the office of the Mayor and the City Council. The rest of the building is a museum that holds courtyards and murals, as well as sculpture, tapestries and furniture.
The most spectacular room is on the first floor of the building, the Salone dei Cinquecento, or the Hall of Five Hundred, even though the murals of Michelangelo and Leonardo were replaced in the late 15th century by the Mannerist works of Vasari and his students. The room does hold the Genius of Victory, a sculpture by Michelangelo.
Just off of the Salone is the Studiolo, the Studio of Francesco I de Medici. This barrel vaulted studio was designed by Vasari between 1570-1575. Most of the paintings in this room were done by Vasari and his students and represent the four elements of air, fire, water, and earth.
The first floor also has rooms that are dedicated to the members of the Medici family and the frescoes reflect the personalities of the people that the rooms were named after.
The second floor has a number of frescoed rooms, including the Sala degli Elementi, Apartment of the Elements, which has five rooms, and the Apartment of Eleonora of Toledo, the wife of Cosimo I. Eleonora’s apartment has frescoes by Bronzino that are dated 1503-1572 in her chapel, and has paintings in another room by the Flemish painter Jan Stradan.
The David that stands outside the palazzo overlooking the Piazza della Signoria is a copy of the original, which actually stood here until it was damaged in 1873. The stairs below the sculpture are a great place to rest weary feet. Here you’ll meet locals and travelers alike and many rendez-vous have been made here.
Photograph: Palazzo Vecchio
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