Palazzo Vecchio

Overlooking the crowded Uffizi and the festive Piazza della Signoria, Palazzo Vecchio is surprisingly overlooked by many tourists who are willing to wait in long lines at other sites. Such a shame as this old palace (That’s what its name means in English) has been and is still Florence’s city hall since the time before the Renaissance, and contains so many beautiful artworks!
One of the few places that opens late in Florence, Palazzo Vecchio has opening hours that can go as late as 11 PM on all days except Thursday during the summertime, so you can definitely visit this place without sacrificing other destinations that close at the typical 5 PM! Here you will find the impressively huge gathering hall Sala de Cinquecento that is decorated on every wall. As you go further, you will find beautifully-​painted fresco in the apartments that once belonged to the Medici pope Leo X and the residences the first Grand Duke of Tuscany Cosimo I. Despite the medieval barebone exterior, Palazzo Vecchio is quite colorful inside!
Come early enough (before 9 PM) and you can climb the offset tower for one of the best views of Florence. It’ll be less crowded to the Duomo dome!
While the Duomo represents the religious aspect of historic Florence, Palazzo Vecchio is the civil counterpart. This palace usually has no crowd and even if it does, its enormous size makes it a non-​issue. Either way, Palazzo Vecchio is a destination that you cannot miss for a full trip to experience historic Florence! Nowhere can you truly see how Florence’s ruling family, the Medici, lived before they upgraded to the grander Palazzo Pitti.
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tl;dr version:
1) The often-​overlooked «hidden gem» despite being prominent and close to headliners
2) Despite the bland exterior, many beautiful colorful art inside
3) One of the few late-​opening sites in Florence
4) Must-​go for the full experience of historic Florence

Things are often odds and especially when we start to speak about what we liked as a tourist during our holidays.
Firenze is known as an open-​air museum: each streets and piazza are already worth being seen. The duomo and other religious buildings are all decorated by sumptuous well-​known pieces of art. Afterwards, as a tourist you have got famous museum to discover for which you have to make long files to enter.
So it is already the third time I came to Firenze and I have never had the opportunity to visit the palazzo Vecchio situated on one of my favourite square. And that is really a pity because this palazzo is just amazing with its frescoes. Each of them is about a story: Greeks mythology, history of the city, allegories of virtues/​life ages/​nature… They are pure emotions.
And as you maybe understood, you don’t have to make any files to visit it.
I was a bit deceived by the catalogue that doesn’t reflect the beauty of the Palazzo. And even as we may take some pictures, the best souvenirs I will have will remain only in dreams and memories.

Beautiful little plaza in the centre of Florence. Lots of different statues and architectural wonders to admire. At the moment and for a few months they have a big golden statue there… i’m not a big fan of it and it seems very out of place but the square itself is lovely!

This area was always fun to walk through because its bustling and great for people watching. Its also right next to the uffuzi museum and there are a bunch of really cool statutes to see. This is also where the «fake David» is located.

El actual ayuntamiento de la ciudad es, probablemente, el edificio que más me impactó arquitectónicamente de todos; no es el más grande, pero sí el que más impacta con la magnífica torre frontal. En su interior se albergan obras de arte de mayor o menor magnitud, lo cual es una perogrullada teniendo en cuenta que estás en la maldita Florencia, amigo, y casi todo lo que hay a tu alrededor son obras de arte impresionantes, turistas y personas inmigrantes que se ganan la vida timando a estos últimos como en toda ciudad turística que se precie.
La subida a lo alto de la torre es peliaguda, no recomiendo hacerla recién comido ni si se sufre de vértigo; a cambio, en la base de la misma hay una terraza enorme con un bar chiquitito donde puedes tomarte algo mientras esperas a los que se han atrevido a hacer la proeza.
Ahora bien, ya estamos con lo de siempre: estos modelos de negocio en los que el edificio está compartimentado en varias zonas y puedes comprar entradas para unas u otras (el yacimiento arqueológico del sótano, la torre, las exposiciones temporales…) son confusos y añaden demasiado tiempo a las colas en la época estival. Sigo siendo un profundo defensor de la entrada única a un precio suficiente como para cubrir gastos de mantenimiento, personal y un mínimo ingreso para las arcas públicas, porque todo lo demás son incomodidades y frustraciones que podrían evitarse fácilmente simplificando el sistema.

En vacances à Florence, il y a beaucoup de choses à voir, trop quand vous êtes là quelques jours seulement alors nous avons hésité à visiter le Palazzo Vecchio… Et bien heureusement que nous y sommes allés !
A Florence, il y a énormément d’art et de belles choses mais là, on touché à l’incroyable voir à l’irrationnel ! Le Palazzo Vecchio est l’ancienne demeure des Medicis, famille mondialement connue et plus grands mécènes de Florence. Partout, de la démesure, des tableaux, de l’or. Le travail de l’architecte est en tout point remarquable.
La visite est plutôt rapide pour un musée de ce type (environ 2h00) et s’appuie surtout sur le meilleur audio-​guide que je n’ai jamais vu. Une tablette permet de suivre la visite avec un commentaire audio qui s’appuie sur des vidéos. C’est simple d’utilisation, vraiment pratique à l’emploi et cela donne un véritable plus à la visite ! Certes, c’est un coût supplémentaire mais dans ce cas précis, ça vaut vraiment le coup !
Il y a bien trop de choses au Palazzo Vecchio pour que je dresse une liste de tout ce qu’il y a à voir. Je né peux que vous donner ce conseil: allez-​y !

The Palazzo Vecchio looms above the piazza with its tall tower and we toured the aforementioned tower and the museum of the palace. Climbing to the top of the tower is not too difficult as you traverse a passageway of stone steps. The views from the top were incredible, with gorgeous views of the entire city. I was a bit letdown that a metal staircase at the top (enabling an even higher view) was blocked off. After the tower tour, we ventured to the museum which featured a vast collection of paintings, walnut painted maps (even one of California), a walk through of the Hall of Five Hundred, and seeing the death mask of Dante (which plays a key role in «Inferno» by Dan Brown). It was amazing the the Palazzo was a residence for the Medicis (it is massive!). Now it acts as the town hall of Florence.

Nicht nur für Dan Brown Fans ist der Palazzo Vecchio super sehenswert. Klar hat es mich dabei besonders fasziniert, die Orte zu suchen, die in dem Roman beschrieben werden. Leider war der Turm bei unserem Besuch wegen der hohen Feuchtigkeit gesperrt, aber der Rest lohnt mindestens genauso!
Besonders hat mir natürlich der riesige, prunkvolle Saal der 500 gefallen. Besonders fasziniert war ich allerdings über die Ausmalung der Decken — in jedem Raum gibt es wunderbare Deckengemälde, in jedem Raum richtete sich der Blick zu allererst nach oben.
Ich kann den Besuch im Palazzo Vecchio absolut empfehlen!

I visited the Palace a couple of years ago — very interesting and a must see for those coming to Florence with an interest in the history of the Medici family. Admission was included with the Firenze Card. Huge rooms with many stairs to climb! Enjoy a drink and people watch in the Piazza della Signoria afterwards.

If you want to climb the bell tower, come early. My friends and I wanted to do this in the early evening, hoping to catch a glimpse of Florence as the sun was setting. So we got there at around 6 (the museum itself doesn’t close until midnight on weekdays but the last entry to the bell tower is at 8) and they were SOLD OUT.
WOMP.
Nothing we could do about it. They did offer museum tickets to us for 1 Euro. I’m not sure if it was to compensate for the sold out bell tower, or if it was just special pricing for that weekend (we also got discounted tickets for the Uffizi and the Galleria dell’Accademia that same day). Although we didn’t need it for that day, they do offer a student discount. Just make sure you have some form of student ID on you.
The museum was nice, but it seemed small. Or at least it didn’t seem as big as the Uffizi. It’s also right by (or in?) the Piazza della Signoria. The view of the museum itself is pretty nice too. And it looks completely different at night, so make sure you come at both times of the day.
FYI — you can’t reserve tickets.

This is perhaps the only major sight that we visited while in Florence: no Galleria, no Uffizi, rather, just this one, the Palazzo Vecchio. This is a Medici palace, which is now an art gallery displaying medieval and Renaissance art.
Try to budget about two hours for this place, at least. And prepare to get a stiff neck. This is because most of the interesting things one can see are actually on the ceiling. So you get to look up most of the time.
Pictures are allowed, but no flash, of course. There are plenty of pictures of gruesome scenes depicting Christian traditions. If you’re against that, then you might want to double-​think visiting this place. Otherwise, I enjoyed it from a historical perspective.

If you take a Eurotrip, do NOT skip Florence Italy. I went on a 5 week Contiki tour of Europe and besides Rome and Paris, Florence probably had the most ‘history,’ meaning famous figures, art and stories you’ve heard or read in your younger years, but couldn’t put a place or a monument to the story.
The various statues of the famous artists (Michaelangelo, Donatello, etc) align the Palazzo walkways. The beautiful buildings that are thousands of years old, yet still stand strong. It’s pure awe inspiring.
Don’t forget to stop by any pizza place nearby (they’re all amazing) for the best pizza you’ll ever have. Please get at least 3 and try them all, you will no longer be able to eat Little Caesars ever again.

It’s a beautiful building and there is a huge statue of David in the front entrance. As you get in a large open area with a magnificent fountain with statues awaits. The ticket price was 10 euros each. There are several really long stairs to climb and of course no elevators available, so be prepared if you are going to the top for the view.
It’s a must visit when in Firenze… And you cant miss it as its beside Galleria degli Uffizi and Piazza della Signoria.

Palazzo Vecchio used to be the home of the Medici family (1540) who spawned a generation of popes, leaders, and even a few queens. Construction began in 1299 with architect Arnolfo di Cambio. The ‘old palace’ was once the city hall of Florence. It’s massive and contains countless works of art. Outside are statues by various Florentine artists. One of which is Michelangelo’s David which originally stood outside until it was moved to the Accedemia Gallery or Academy of Fine Arts in 1873. The replica was erected in 1910, where the original once was. The statue is next to the statue of Hercules and Cacus by Bandinelli. Inside, there are expansive frescoes that depict Florence’s military victories over Pisa and Siena.
The palace can be found in the Piazza della Signoria which is the main square in Florence. Florence does have many squares but this is the main one which used to be the political meeting place for all Florentines. The palace has been the home to the office of the mayor of Florence since 1872 and is also the seat of the City Council.
It’s a must visit if you’re ever in Florence! Just along the palace, you’ll walk into the Uffizi courtyard and on to Ponte Vecchio.

Palazzo Vecchio is a magnificent location for a civil wedding. Get married in a 13^th century palace in the heart of Florence, practically for free! I could give you an extensive report of our wedding, but I’ll stick to a quick pros/​cons instead, for those seeking advice on the Florence City Hall as a wedding venue
Pros:
— The awe-​inspiring Sala Rossa period room
— Get married in one of the most amazing medieval buildings in Europe
— Very inexpensive because it’s a city hall, open for public weddings
— Get married by one of the mayors or vice-​mayors of Florence, Italy
— The ceremony is entirely secular and very egalitarian. No religious elements, and both the man and the woman must promise to take on equal amounts of work in the household and in the process of raising children
— You can have a quartet play during the ceremony
— You get a free commemorative medal, made of solid silver, portraying the Palazzo Vecchio, as a wedding gift from the City of Florence. Truly amazing.
— Beautiful decorative wedding contract in addition to the regular papers.
Cons:
— You must book exactly 6 months in advance to the date, and there’s a very brief window during which you can successfully get a booking. Once the day is full, it’s full. I strongly recommend hiring an experienced wedding planner who has gone through the process before and knows how to get through and get your desired date. I recommend Ben Singleton from Italy Weddings. If you start planning after the 6 month mark, it ain’t gonna happen.
— There’s a steady stream of weddings, each 20 minutes long, so basically two per hour with ten minutes to empty/​fill the room. A good wedding planner will help avoid a «clash of brides» and will ensure that everyone is in the room and seated within minutes.
— The bureaucratic nightmare that comes with any dealings with the Italian government. Thank god our wedding planner took us everywhere we needed to go and would then tell us where to meet him again a few hours later. This will be practically impossible to do on your own.
— Only men can sign the application for a wedding license. Ridiculously outdated, but at least the ceremony itself is great. Awkward moment for our wedding planner haha, when he’d had my husband sign, and I then asked: «Okay, where do I sign?» and he had to explain I wasn’t allowed to.
Overall, if you have a good planner to take care of the organizational details, the process will be a breeze for you, and you’ll have the most amazing wedding ever. After our ceremony, we jumped in a horse drawn carriage outside, entirely unplanned, they just happened to be there, and rode through the city as people happily called out: «Viva gli sposi!»
Bonus: We got to take all our wedding photos, after the ceremony, throughout the city of Florence. Amazing wedding album!

Great stop in Florence. I recommend doing the town first early when there is no one there and working your way back down to the museum after the tower.
Amazing views of the Florence from up there. Great architecture.

A huge surprise. Having more time than expected after the Uffizi we popped into Palazzo Vecchio. A gorgeous and sprawling palace where each room is rich with a story it’s own. You can’t help but love each and every room. Not an inch of wall or ceiling space is wasted. Simply gorgeous.

Palazzo Vecchio (which translates literally to «Old Palace») was originally established as the City Hall of Florence in medieval times (specifically the year 1302!). This is an attraction not to be missed when visiting Florence. The Romanesque Palace is an incredibly impressive Fortress which retains much of its original exterior appearance, although its interior was «updated» (ha!), meaning «re-​modeled» (ha ha!) in the mid-1500’s.
During the brief period that Florence was the capital of Italy from 1865 – 1871 the Palazzo Vecchio housed the Parliament and Foreign Ministry. It is one of the most impressive sights to see throughout Tuscany. It is absolutely massive, constructed from large blocks, with an extremely tall lookout tower that immediately attracts your eye when viewing the Florence skyline even today. The top of the tower is roughly the same height as the top of the Duomo.
The palace’s main entrance is approached from a piazza (plaza) which includes many historic sculptures, including Michaelangelo’s David (although the original marble sculpture is housed at the Accademia di Belle Arti, «Academy of Fine Arts»), as well as Benvenuto Cellini’s Perseus with the Head of Medusa. These are awe inspiring sculptures that, again, are not to be missed. Michelangelo’s original marble sculptue of David actually stood at the entrance from its completion in 1504 to 1873, when it was moved to the Accademia Gallery. A replica of the David, erected in 1910, now stands in its place next to Baccio Bandinelli’s Hercules and Cacus.
A trip to Florence would not be complete without including a visit to the Palazzo Vecchio!

from our trip in 2009…
very visually stunning area here. even with all the tour groups blocking most of the statues, the space is still amazing. the replica statue of David is one of the stars in the plaza. lots of other repica statues of, apparently, famous sculptures. maybe zuess and poseidon, i think. we’re not big art buffs.
there are several little cafes in the plaza that mama and i people watched from. and of course, we did so whilst sipping on some refreshingly cool prosecco. the people watching here is unparralled. they flow through the plaza like schools of fish.
the plaza is fun and relaxing for just sitting around. sit on the steps or visit the cafes. if you’re so inclined, stand in on one of the tours. cool spot.

Jeder Florenzbesucher landet irgendwann auf der Piazza de la Signorina. Dann sollte man den Palazzo ‘Vecchio nicht vergessen. Das imposanteste ist die Eintrittshalle — schließlich muss Macht und Geld nach außen sichtbar sein. Wer genügend Zeit mitbringt, kann sich auch das Museum anschauen mit all dem Luxus (Fresken), in dem diese Sippschaft gehaust hat. Besonders beeindruckt haben mich die nach unten offenen Luxustoiletten. Da konnte das Dienstpersonal doch glatt von unten dem Cosimo in die Geheimnisse schauen.