Piazza della Signoria
Florence
Piazza della Signoria has been the political centre of Florence for over seven centuries. Dominated by the bulk of Palazzo Vecchio and its tower, it is an open-air museum: among its statues stand out the copy of Michelangelo's David and the masterpieces of the Loggia dei Lanzi. This is where the city's civic heart has beaten, and still beats.
The civic heart of Florence
Piazza della Signoria has been the centre of Florentine political life for centuries. It is overlooked by Palazzo Vecchio, seat of the city government since the days of the Republic, with its imposing Arnolfo tower, about 94 metres high. The square has witnessed assemblies, proclamations and dramatic moments in the history of Florence, including the execution of the friar Girolamo Savonarola, hanged and then burned right here in 1498, remembered by a plaque in the paving.
The statues and monuments
The square is a true open-air museum. In front of Palazzo Vecchio stands a copy of Michelangelo's David (the original is in the Galleria dell'Accademia), together with the statue of Hercules and Cacus and Bartolomeo Ammannati's Fountain of Neptune, nicknamed "il Biancone", the big white one, by the Florentines. Giambologna's equestrian statue of Cosimo I also stands out.
The Loggia dei Lanzi
On one side of the square opens the Loggia dei Lanzi, built in the 14th century, which houses an extraordinary collection of sculptures. Among them are Perseus with the Head of Medusa, Benvenuto Cellini's bronze masterpiece, and Giambologna's Rape of the Sabine Women, carved from a single block of marble. The loggia works as a covered gallery, free for all to enter.
Visiting Piazza della Signoria
The square lies in the heart of Florence, a few steps from the Uffizi and the Duomo. It is the ideal place to begin exploring the historic centre. A historic café overlooking the square lets you watch the comings and goings beneath Palazzo Vecchio. A central stop on the treasure map, where art and civic history intertwine.
