Piazza della Signoria

The area where we find Piazza della Signoria had already been an important square in ancient Roman times and was surrounded by a semi-circular theatre, Roman baths and later on, a church. At the end of the 13th century the need for a building from which to govern the city became evident and by the beginning of the 1300's Palazzo Vecchio was constructed and the government seat appointed. It was paved for the first time in 1385, essentially making it the square that we see today.

Piazza della Signoria is so called because of the Signoria, the ruling body of Florence's Republic from the Middle Ages to the Renaissance. The Signoria (not to be confused with signora, or “madam”!) was a group of nine men, known as Priori, who were randomly chosen from a hat from the Guilds of the city to rule Florence for two months at a time, locked inside the Palazzo Vecchio to avoid corruption. In addition, to be eligible for office, the members had to have not recently served a term, had to have no relation to the names already drawn and not be in debt.

Because of this important position, Piazza della Signoria was and still is the political centre of the city, even today the Palazzo Vecchio is still the town hall where the mayor has his offices and civil ceremonies still take place.The interior of the Palazzo Vecchio is now largely from the sixteenth century renovations, and is filled with painting and sculpture that the Medici family left us from their time here, Grand Duke Cosimo I (1519-1574) being a major patron of the arts.

Some of the most significant executions of the city have taken place in this piazza. Some might recall a rather gory scene in the film Hannibal, which is set in Florence and plays on an actual historical event – in 1478 there is an assassination attempt on the Medici. Lorenzo the Magnificent escapes, but his brother Giuliano is killed, and the family responsible, the Pazzi, and their co-conspirators more than pay the price. Many – including some of the most well-known citizens of the city – are thrown out of the windows of the Palazzo Vecchio and left to hang for everyone to see and jeer at.

Florence in the 15th and 16th centuries found sculpture to be a very important way of promoting the government's image, representing the city's struggle for freedom, strength and courage, helping boost morale during times of unrest, or celebrate the victory of a new government thus creating what we see today as a magnificent open-air museum, with some of history's most important artists represented by their statues of heroic legends. The Loggia dei Lanzi is the arched, open fronted building next to the Palazzo Vecchio and is the perfect showcase for these sculptures although its original purpose was to be an elegant podium for public ceremonies.