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10 - PALAZZO VECCHIO - "OLD PALACE"
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Palazzo Vecchio

To enter the old building must be first and to force change from Piazza della Signoria. Piazza strange, semi-circular, a kind of 'L' on which dominates the tower of Arnolfo. We are a step back, someone remembers the hell of Dante, especially:
10.22 'O Tuscan, passing through the fiery city
Alive and speaking with such frank decorum,
Be kind enough to pause now in this place.
 
25 "Your way of talking makes it clear you come
Of the stock born of that same noble city
To which I was perhaps too troublesome."
 
So suddenly had this sound issued from
One of the coffins there that I trembled
30 And drew a little closer to my guide.
 
"Turn around," he said. "What are you doing?
Look here at Farinata straightening up!
From waist high you will see the whole of him."
 
I had already fixed my eyes on his
35 While he emerged with his forehead and chest,
Looking as though he held hell in contempt.
 
The quick, assuring hands of my leader
Pushed me toward him between the sepulchers -
He said, "Suit your words to the occasion."
 
40 When I had come up nearer to his tomb,
He stared a moment and then, disdainfully,
I who was anxious to be dutiful
Kept nothing back but told him everything.
45 At this he raised his brows ever so slightly,
Then said, "They were so fiercely inimical
To me and to my forebears and my party
That twice I had to send them scampering."
 
"Though they were driven out, yet from all sides
50 At both times they came back," I said to him;
"But your men never really learned that art."

Dante Alighieri

Dante Alighieri

Firenze - Palazzo Vecchio
Credits Collegamento Immagine Autore: Luis Ascenso Licenza: CC BY 2.0

We recognize him as Farinata of Uberti. He saved Florence from destruction after the Battle of Montaperti (September 4 1260). Ghibelline famil, winner, but chased away from Florence in 1266. Florence certain sides has always given little honor his peak men. Dante was chased away, Farinata that while fighting for a party, he prevented a total destruction of the City. After a few years, the same fate will go to great poet and his remains, Santa Cross retains only a tomb empty. Well, we are at the end of that century XIII and Florence decided to build a palace that was the first all defensible and secondly manifest throughout the magnificence of the city. Palazzo Vecchio was built over the foundations of that Ghibelline building where the hatred of the looser city party, raged on with fury. Together with the palace, was incorporated the Vacca's building as well. The cut tower became the base of Arnolfo's. The palace, was brought to completion in 1314. From that moment was the seat of Signoria composed of a citizen council and commaded by Priori (Dante was part of the council in 1300), and by 'Gonfaloniere of Justice': a short-Office term that was among the modern mayor and the chief of government.

'The current building is, however, the result of other buildings and extensions that followed, carried out between thethirteenthand sixteenth century. The Duke of Athens, Gualtieri of Brienne began the changes in the first period (1342-1343). He made it bigger on the Via della Ninna side and giving to the building, a appearance of a fortress. Other major changes occurred in the period 1440-60 under Cosimo de 'Medici, with the introduction of Renaissance-style decorations in the Hall of Dugento and the first courtyard by Michelozzo. The Exhibition of the sixteenth century was built by 1494 instead during the Republic of Savonarola. '

In the sixteenth century the recent enlargements post by Baptist of Tasso and Bernardo Buontalenti that led the building at the actual volume and appearance. Note that the battlements of the palace is Guelf, while that of Ghibelline tower Arnolfo presents battlements dovetail (Ghibelline). The palace has loopholes defence, which could throw on any assailants of boiling stones. "Pearl over pearls": the palace from the seventeenth century had running water. Not all rooms of course, but also on the walkways defence are real cannelle brass. A piping and a deposit placed on hills of Fiesole, ensured prevalence necessary to reach all plans and give effect to water fountains. In the palace there were two among the many, valuable statues by Donatello, 'Judith and Olofene' (1455-60), and the Marzocco. Now they are replaced by copies in reason of their preciousness. The Marzocco is at Bargello’s (the museum opened like a kangaroo, just when they remember… it’s Italy, come on!), while Judith is always inside the palace. During their times, they were placed on the square. In 1504 in front of the entrance of the Palazzo Vecchio, there was the White Giant, Michelangelo's David, a symbol of freedom and Strength of the lilied-town. At the top of the Arnolfo’s tower, there are three bells that marked the history of the city. The first, in order of importance is named 'Martinella'. When this played citizens called to meeting. Often it means danger or even war in sight. The second and third, respectively the bell of midday and that of tolling (the biggest)..

The first courtyard, which possible to access from the main door on Piazza della Signoria was designed by Michelozzo in 1453. In 1565, during the marriage between Francesco I de 'Medici, son of Cosimo I, and Joan of Austria, sister of emperor Maximilian II, the courtyard was transformed and decorated in an exuberant Mannerist style, designed by Giorgio Vasari. In lunettes, all around the courtyard, are reproduced the insignia of churches and congregations of arts and crafts in the city, while in the lower boxes are painted in her honour of Joanna of Austria, the Sights of the city of the Habsburgs. The vaults are enriched with grotesque decorations. At the centre, in place of the well, a fountain was built in porphyry from the Baptist Tadda and Raphael Domenico Polo, which was placed on the oldest statue of a cherub bronze with dolphin by Andrea del Verrocchio (1476), moved from 1959 to the second floor of the building in the Terrace of Juno in the courtyard and replaced by a copy. This small statue was originally located in the garden of the Villa Medici of Careggi and the water that feeds fushing out from the nostrils of dolphin, comes from the Boboli Gardens grace to an ancient system of water pipes. In the niche in front of the fountain, is installed Samson and Filisteo of Pierino da Vinci. The columns are richly decorated with grooves alternate parts worked with golden stucco. From the left side of the courtyard a door in artistic Lounge Arme, once used as storage of weapons and ammunition and now used for temporary exhibitions and special events.

The second courtyard. Here there was the Customs, whereabouts of duty paid on goods originating outside, in accordance with the policy of 'everything under control'. If not paid, the goods shall not leaving. Simple. In the courtyard is now Ticket museum and bookshop

Third courtyard. This new Courtyard, was executed by Bartolomeo Ammannati and Bernardo Buontalenti at the conclusion of enlargement towards because of Gondi and via dei Leoni. We look especially municipal offices and overlooks the staircase that door to the office of the Mayor and the Board.

The Hall of 500: it's one of the masterpieces most beautiful and precious of all Italy. It has a length of 54 metres and it’s 23 metres wide. It was built in 1494 by Simone del Pollaiolo, told the Chronicle on Board of Savonarola, replacing the Medici of Florence to drive, wanted this room as the seat of the Council Major precisely than 500 members. The hall was subsequently enlarged by Vasari that could become court for Cosimo I. 'During the transformation (1555-1572) the famous paintings, but incomplete, de Battle of Anghiari of Leonardo da Vinci and La Battle of Cascina Michelangelo were obscured or destroyed, still is not clear. The Battle of Anghiari there is a famous Rubens copy of the museum Louvre, but in any case of two works there remain other copies and sometimes sketches. '

At the time, when Florence was the capital of the Kingdom of Italy, parliamentarians met here (1865-1871). During this period Florence had many of those destructions and rearrangements that not even the bombing of the WWII equalled!

A truly historical period to forget. On the walls of the “hall of the 500”, there are battles to which participated and won the Florentine troops. -

- The taking of Siena.

 

- The conquest of Porto Ercole.

 

- The victory of Cosimo I to Marciano in Val di Chiana.

 

- The defeat of the Pisa tower of St. Vincent,

 

- Maximilian of Austria attempt the conquest of Livorno

 

- Pisa attacked by the Florentine troops

 

 

The ceiling is made with 39 panels constructed and painted by Vasari and the workshop represented 'Important episodes from the life of Cosimo I', part of the city and the city itself, with at its heart the apotheosis representative: 'Scene of glorification as Grand Duke of Florence and Tuscany '. From Look again: the monumental districts, the district Element and the district of Eleanor. For the preciousness of contents visit requires perhaps as much as the Uffizi.

Curiosity. On the right corner of the facade of Palazzo old has carved a rough profile. No one knows who has attempted or completed but the fact 'vox populi' attaches to the Buonarroti. According to tradition, what would be the face of a person sentenced to death even done 'turned back'. The only sure truth is that few could have been closer to building and work with impunity on the facade, then certainly someone had to be so guard could close more than one eye. In the hall of Hercules has kept a Renaissance Madonna Madonna dell'Ufo popularly called by an object flying 'unidentifiable' painted in the sky in the background. This is a grey something that keeps golden rays, which look two figurines in the background.

 

Firenze - Palazzo Vecchio
Firenze - Palazzo Vecchio
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 

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