Палац-фортеця Palace-fortress

Rating 8110

In 1299, the government of the Florentine Republic (Signoria) invited the famous architect Arnolfo di Cambio to build a building for the stay and meeting of seniors, ie government officials. In the same year, construction began on the site of the Fanti Palace, which belonged to the Ghibelline family of Uberti, which was banished in 1266. Cambio used the old tower left over from the former palace. Therefore, the rectangular tower of the Palazzo Vecchio is now not in the center of the building. After Di Cambio's death in 1314, the construction of the palace was continued by his disciples. And in 1315 it was completed. The building had a massive appearance, better reminiscent of a fortress where government officials could hide. In plan it is a rectangle, but thin cornices on the facade visually divide it into three large blocks. The gallery crowned with teeth seems to be repeated on the bell tower and the tower, which reaches a height of 94 m, complementing the impression of majestic simplicity.
From that moment on, the main structure of the palace remained unchanged, only some improvements were made. In 1342–1343, the building was extended to Gauthier IV, Duke of Athens. New changes took place during the reign of Cosimo Medici in 1440-1460. The Hall of Two Hundred appears. In 1494-1495, the architect Simone del Pollayolo built the Hall of Five Hundred.

During the time of the republic, numerous sculptures of famous masters were installed both inside and outside, in particular Michelangelo Buonarroti and Donatello. In 1540–1543, the interior of the palace was changed by Giorgio Vasari by order of the Florentine Duke Cosimo I of Medici. Jacopo Dzukki also took part in the decoration. In 1588–1592, the transformation inside was created by the architect Buontalenti. In 1667, Vincenzo Viviani's clock was installed on the tower, which is still in use.

A feature of the building is a massive facade consisting of large blocks. All this is complemented by an asymmetrically located tower.
Above the front door is a marble frontispiece "Jesus Christ, King of kings and Lord of lords. " From 1504 to 1873, Michelangelo's David stood here. The palace is interested in three courtyards with works by famous masters, including Andrea del Verrocchio, Giorgio Vasari, Michelozzo. Famous is the Hall of Five Hundred, where masterpieces of painting are collected. Numerous tapestries and frescoes adorn the rooms on the second floor of the palace, including the Hall of Elements, Saturn's terrace, the rooms of Hercules, Ceres, Cybele, Penelope, Jupiter, and the Sabines.