Wingsch Real Estate Investments   

Piazza della Signoria in Florence

Thursday, 22 August 2024 - 11:00 am (CET/MEZ) Berlin | Author/Destination: European Union / Europäische Union
Category/Kategorie: General Reading Time:  3 minutes

🔊 Listen to this Post Piazza della Signoria is a w-shaped square in front of the Palazzo Vecchio in Florence, Italy. It was named after the Palazzo della Signoria, also called Palazzo Vecchio. It is the main point of the origin and history of the Florentine Republic and still maintains its reputation as the political focus of the city. It is the meeting place of Florentines as well as the numerous tourists, located near Palazzo Vecchio and Piazza del Duomo and gateway to Uffizi Gallery.

The 14th-century Palazzo Vecchio is still preeminent with its crenellated tower. The square is also shared with the Loggia della Signoria, the Uffizi Gallery, the Palace of the Tribunale della Mercanzia (1359) (now the Bureau of Agriculture), and the Palazzo Uguccioni (1550, with a facade attributed to Raphael, who however died thirty years before its construction). Located in front of the Palazzo Vecchio is the Palace of the Assicurazioni Generali (1871, built in Renaissance style).

Various imposing statues ring this square including:

1. Copy of Michelangelo’s David. at the entrance of the Palazzo Vecchio; the original by Michelangelo is housed in the Galleria dell’Accademia, adjacent to the Gallery of the Academy of Fine Arts.
2. Equestrian Monument of Cosimo I, honoring Cosimo I de’ Medici and sculpted by Giambologna (1594)
3. Fountain of Neptune by Bartolomeo Ammannati (1575)
4. Il Marzocco, (the Lion) with a copy of the Florentine Lily, originally made by Donatello (copy)
5. Judith and Holofernes, by Donatello (copy)
6. Hercules and Cacus, by Bandinelli (1533)
7. The Abduction of the Sabine Women, in the Loggia dei Lanzi by Giambologna (1583)
8. Perseus with the Head of Medusa, in the Loggia dei Lanzi by Cellini (1554)
9. Medici lions, by Fancelli and Vacca (1598)

There are several restrictions on car movements in the city with various areas designated as zona a traffico limitato (ZTL), which translates to “restricted traffic zone.” Areas such as the Piazza della Signoria, as well as those of Piazza del Duomo, Via Tornabuoni, and Piazza Pitti, are entirely reserved for pedestrian use. An exception is made for fire trucks, ambulances, and local taxis.

Read more on Wikipedia Piazza della Signoria (Smart Traveler App by U.S. Department of State - Weather report by weather.com - Global Passport Power Rank - Travel Risk Map - Democracy Index - GDP according to IMF, UN, and World Bank - Global Competitiveness Report - Corruption Perceptions Index - Press Freedom Index - World Justice Project - Rule of Law Index - UN Human Development Index - Global Peace Index - Travel & Tourism Competitiveness Index). Photos by Wikimedia Commons. If you have a suggestion, critique, review or comment to this blog entry, we are looking forward to receive your e-mail at comment@wingsch.net. Please name the headline of the blog post to which your e-mail refers to in the subject line.

---

Recommended posts:

• Florence, the Italian Athens
• The Uffizi in Florence
• Quadrilatero della moda in Milan
• Theme Week Tuscany – Montepulciano
• Scicli on Sicily
• Theme Week Lombardy – Brescia
• Theme Week Tuscany – Arezzo
• Treviso in Veneto
• Theme Week Abruzzo – Teramo
• Piazza del Campo in Siena
• Theme Week Friuli Venezia Giulia – San Vito al Tagliamento
• Santa Maria di Castellabate in Southern Italy
• Piazza Navona in Rome
• Trento, capital of Trentino
• Rieti, the midpoint of Italy