Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Nearby:
TheLoggiadeiLanzi,acrossfromthePalazzoVecchioandfacingthesquare,is
whereRenaissanceFlorentinesoncedebatedtheissuesoftheday;acollectionofMedici-ap-
provedsculpturesnowstand(orwrithe)underitscanopy,includingCellini'sbronze
Perseus.
The plaque on the pavement in front of the fountain marks the spot where the monk Savon-
arola was burned in MCDXCVIII, or 1498.
Thiscastle-likefortresswiththe300-footspiredominatesFlorence'smainsquare.InRenais-
sance times, it was the Town Hall, where citizens pioneered the once-radical notion of self-
rule.Itsofficialname—thePalazzodellaSignoria—referstotheelectedmembersofthecity
council. In 1540, the tyrant Cosimo I de' Medici made the building his personal palace, re-
decorating the interior in lavish style. Today the building functions once again as the Town
Hall, home to the mayor's office and the city council.
Entry to the ground-floor courtyard is free, so even if you don't go upstairs to the mu-
seum, you can step inside and feel the essence of the Medici. Paying customers can see
Cosimo's (fairly) lavish royal apartments, decorated with (fairly) top-notch paintings and
statues by Michelangelo and Donatello. The highlight is the Grand Hall (Salone dei Cin-
quecento), a 13,000-square-foot hall lined with huge frescoes and interesting statues. People
who pay to climb the tower are rewarded with a magnificent city view.
Cost and Hours:
Courtyard—free to enter; museum—€6.50, €8 combo-ticket with
Brancacci Chapel, covered by Firenze Card; tower only-€6.50 (418 steps), museum plus
tower-€10; Fri-Wed 9:00-19:00, until 24:00 April-Sept; Thu 9:00-14:00 year-round; ticket
office closes one hour earlier, Piazza della Signoria, tel. 055-276-8224,
Nighttime Terrace Visits:
In summer, you can join an escort for an unnarrated walk
along the “patrol path”—the balcony that runs just below the crenellated top of the building
(€2 plus regular admission ticket, every 30 minutes between 20:00 and 23:00, no tours Oct-
March). Note that this tour doesn't go to the top of the tower, but just to the top of the main
building.
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Ponte Vecchio
Florence'smostfamousbridgehaslongbeenlinedwithshops.Originallythesewerebutcher
shops that used the river as a handy disposal system. Then, when the powerful and princely
MedicibuilttheVasariCorridor(describednext)overthebridge,thestinkymeatmarketwas
replaced by the more elegant gold and silver shops that remain there to this day. A statue of
Benvenuto Cellini, the master goldsmith of the Renaissance, stands in the center, ignored by
thefloodoftackytourism.Thisisaveryromanticspotlateatnight(whenloversgather,and
a top-notch street musician performs).
