Palazzo Vecchio Monday tour
PALAZZO VECCHIO TOUR DETAILS
Language: English
Frequency: Monday
This tour is available from 01 April to 31 October.
Starting time: 3.30 pm
Duration: about 1 hour and 30'
Price: 35,00 euro per person
Price includes: guided tour, pre-booking fee, ticket and earphones for groups with more than 15 participants.
This tour will take place rain or shine and from 1 participant onwards
Children: children under 11 years pay reduced price ticket 30 euro.
Meeting point with your guide: Piazza della Signoria, behind the Neptune Fontaine. Please arrive 15 minutes before the tour starting time.
MAJOR ADVANTAGE: timed Entry, no need to queue.
Focus on Palazzo Vecchio
Palazzo Vecchio - the symbol of the Medici
Designed in 1298-99 by Arnolfo di Cambio as the seat of the Republic Government, in just three years the main body of the building was completed, but work was prolonged until 1315. It was first called Palazzo dei Priori because it was used by the representatives of the Gonfalonier of Justice and the priors of the Guilds. At that time an enormous bell at the top of the tower called the citizens to gather or to warn them of danger. The building continued to maintain its political importance even under the Medici rule when the building took the name of Palazzo della Signoria. Duke Cosimo I lived here from 1540 to 1565, but when the Medici moved to their new residence in Palazzo Pitti, it took the name of Palazzo Vecchio. From 1865 to 1871, when Florence was the capital of Italy, the building was the seat of Italian Parliament. Today it is the Town Hall. The exterior is a classic example of 14th-century civil architecture.
Photogallery Firenze
Palazzo Vecchio tour: the itinerary
For more than seven centuries, the Palazzo Vecchio (the Old Palace) has been the recognizable symbol of the political life in Florence. The guided visit includes the spectacular Salone dei Cinquecento designed by Giorgio Vasari for the Grand Duke Cosimo I, the rooms dedicated to the Medici Popes Leo X, the famous room of the Elements, the apartment of Eleonora, and the numerous areas decorated by the masterpieces of celebrated artists of the Renaissance such as Michelangelo, Donatello, and Verrocchio.