Description of the attraction
Palazzo Vecchio (Old Palace) is located in one of the most beautiful squares in Italy - Piazza della Signoria. The construction of the Palace began in 1294 according to the design of Arnolfo di Cambio as a fortress to protect the residence of the priori - a powerful square building with a jagged end. The high tower (94 meters), which has risen above the gallery since 1310, gives even greater solidity to the palace. Outside, the building is faced with hard stone rustication. The three-storey façade is decorated with paired windows inscribed in semicircular arches, which gives the whole building an impression of restrained austerity. Between 1343 and 1592, changes and additions were made to the original design of Arnolfo di Cambio (both inside and outside the building). Masters such as Kronaka, Vasari and Buontalenti took part in these works. On the facade, under the arches of the gallery, one can see frescoes with nine coats of arms of the city's communes. The watch has a mechanism that dates back to 1667. On both sides of the entrance to the palace there are marble sculptures for hanging chains.
In front of the Palazzo Vecchio there are a number of sculptures, including the famous copy of David by Michelangelo, which replaced the original in 1873. Above the facade above the entrance is a medallion with the monogram of Christ, flanked by figures of lions against a bright blue background of the tympanum and topped with a triangular cornice. The Latin inscription "Rex regum et Dominus dominantium", which means "The king rules and God rules", was placed here in 1551 by the decree of Cosimo I.
The salon of the five hundred Palazzo Vecchio, intended to hold meetings of the Great People's Council after the second expulsion of the Medici from Florence, was created by the architect Cronac. Vasari was in charge of decorating the hall. Allegorical paintings on the ceiling and walls tell about the triumphant Return of the Grand Duke Cosimo I to Florence, about the History of the conquests of Pisa and Siena. Among the marble statues, Michelangelo's sculptural group "A genius trampling on brute force" should be noted.
Among the Supreme Apartments, apart from the apartments of Eleonora Toledskaya and the Audience Hall, the Hall of Lilies should be distinguished. The hall owes its name to the decoration depicting a golden lily flower on a blue background. On the walls there are frescoes by Domenico Ghirlandaio. The famous Judith, Donatello's masterpiece, is on display in the Hall of Lilies. It used to stand in Piazza della Signoria.
