Palazzo Vecchio in Florence

Today I felt like writing something on Florence- a thorough Renaissance town that enthralled me in just 4 days! I still remember how I felt when I was leaving the town, a little pang of sadness in my heart. But first a confession. 

I did not know as much about Florence till I read Dan Brown's thriller novel "Inferno". And this was just before my trip to Italy so no surprises there, I got fascinated with Italy more. Open piazzas, sprawling fountains, well dressed men and rich history!

As much as I loved the image of being in Florence I was not very impressed by the book Inferno, but still I planned on going to the places mentioned in it well only because I loved ITALY! One of the places was Palazzo Vecchio- the town hall of the Firenze a.k.a Florence.

Palazzo Vecchio

The entrance

The Palazzo Vecchio is massive. This Romansque Palazzo overlooks Piazza della Signoria and hosts a replica of the statue of David at its entrance along with statues of Hercules and Cacus.

Hall of the Five Hundred

I loved exploring this side of the fortress. The best part of Palazzo Vecchio according to me was "The Hall of the Five Hundred or Salone dei Cinquecento". 

A huge hall, built in 1494, that I gathered was also the most important room, turns out to be the largest room in Italy that can be used as a political gathering. The entire area is gorgeous, richly decorated with works of artists such as Botticelli, Vasari, Michelangelo etc. It is spellbinding to see all of them together. I spent a good hour 

Next up was the famous Dante's death mask. For those who loved the Inferno- here is a sneak peek of the same. For those who don't know- Dante Alighieri, a famous Florentine poet, has been the subject of study and research since years. His famous mask kept in Palazzo Vecchio, was made by Pietro and Tullio Lombardo in 1483. It is a symbol of his contribution to the town of Florence. 

Dante's Death Mask

Next was another distinctive room called the "Hall of Geographical Maps or Stanza della Guardoroba".

An administrative room that holds the Mappa Mundi - a globe almost 6 feet tall that was the largest rotating sphere of its time, this room had beautiful oil painted maps and designs of the world from as far as the 16th century. It is believed that this is the same hall where the belongings of Medici Grand Dukes were kept.

Hope you enjoyed this post. Meanwhile, here's a view of Florence for you.