PALAZZO VECCHIO

This fortress-palace is the symbol of Florence's power. With its 95-metre high tower, Palazzo Vecchio elegantly dominates Piazza della Signoria. Built between the end of the 13th and the beginning of the 14th century on the Arnolfo di Cambio project, the palace was then enlarged in the 15th and 16th centuries. The seat of the Seigneury, it temporarily housed the Medici during the time of Cosme I until they moved to Palazzo Pitti. The Palazzo della Signoria took the name of Vecchio and Giorgio Vasari worked there. A symbol of civil power, it now houses the City Council of Florence.

Its façades are pierced by twinned windows topped by heavy protruding crenellations. There are many coats of arms, including the one with the vermeil field and the white lily consecrating Florence as a founding mother city, "daughter and creature of ancient Rome", or the one of the Seigneury, in the azure field, bearing the inscription "libertas". Freedom was indeed the motivation of the Tuscan cities in perpetual struggle for their independence.

To the right of the palace, the Loggia della Signoria (also known as Loggia dei Lanzi) houses Benvenuto Cellini's Perseus (wielding the head of the Gorgon jellyfish) and the Removal of the Sabines, a 16th century marble sculpture by Giambologna.

The Arnolfo Tower, in homage to the architect and sculptor Arnolfo di Cambio, to whom the construction of the palace is attributed, was completed in 1310, this belfry with three rows of square battlements has a projecting wall path that can be used. Count about 300 steps to climb! The bell was rung to announce public meetings or to warn of imminent danger.

The museum, located in the monumental districts of Palazzo Vecchio, offers a glimpse into the political and social life of the 16th century, when Cosme de Médicis and his wife lived in the palace. There are masterpieces by Michelangelo, Vasari, Ghirlandaio, Verrocchio, Bronzino, Andrea della Robbia or Donatello (Judith and Holofernes). And above all the Hall of the Five Hundred, where the paintings, painted by artists from Michelangelo's workshops, are particularly satisfying during the battles against Pisa and Siena. Impressive and sumptuous at the same time! Various guided tours are offered (in French), including one of the secret passages of the palace, where you can discover the hidden parts of Francis I de Medici's studio, and during which you can access the structures above the famous salone dei Cinquecento.