1. Palazzo Vecchio

2. Construction began in 1299
Located in central Florence at the Piazza della Signoria

3. The loggia contains some of the world’s finest sculptures

4. The Palazzo looks like a fortress but contains lovely halls and residential apartments
Salone dei Cinquecento (Hall of 500)

5. The Palazzo has been the seat of government in Florence since its construction
Signoria: The governing body of any of
the Italian city-states
Republicanism in Florence (guilds)
Resistance to “divine rights,” control
by papacy, Hapsburgs, French throne
Cities, states, nations, nation-states
Northern Italy was a battle-ground, but
also a fertile ground for humanistic
ideology and creative output.

6. The character of the Palazzo, the history of Florence, and the flourishing of the Renaissance was shaped fundamentally by the House of Medici from 1434 onwards
Cosimo (The Elder, ) Piero (The Gouty, ) Lorenzo (The Magnificent, )

7. The House of Medici went on to produce four popes, a queen of France and other notables.

8. The strong hand of the Medici was interrupted from by the interventions of Friar Girolamo Savonarola
Born 1452
Led expulsion of Lorenzo, republican reforms, construction of Hall of 500
Preached and passed laws against corruption, usury, gambling, luxury
Sold church property to assist the poor
Excommunicated by the pope in 1497
Arrested by Medici partisans and burned at the stake in the Piazza 1498
Presented to the papacy for sainthood 1997

9. Plaque in Piazza commemorating the spot where Savonarola was hanged and burned

10. Current appearance of Palazzo Vecchio dates to 1540s, when Duke Cosimo I and his wife, Eleonora, moved the Medici court
Labyrinth of apartments, chambers, courtyards, and terraces
Rooms decorated by Michealangelo, Donatello and others