Piazza della Signoria | |
|---|---|
| Public square | |
 | |
| Features | StatuesJudith and Holofernes byDonatello andDavid byMichelangelo, Neptune Fountain |
| Opening date | 1330 |
| Surface | stone |
| Location | Florence, Italy |
  Piazza della Signoria | |
| Coordinates:43°46′11″N11°15′20″E / 43.76972°N 11.25556°E /43.76972; 11.25556 | |
Piazza della Signoria (Italian pronunciation:[ˈpjattsadellasiɲɲoˈriːa]) is a w-shapedsquare in front of thePalazzo Vecchio inFlorence,Central Italy. It was named after the Palazzo della Signoria, also calledPalazzo Vecchio. It is the main point of the origin and history of theFlorentine Republic and still maintains its reputation as the political focus of the city.[1] It is the meeting place of Florentines as well as the numerous tourists, located near Palazzo Vecchio andPiazza del Duomo, and gateway to theUffizi Gallery.
Designated aUNESCO World Heritage Site in 1982,Florence's Historic Centre is anchored by the iconic Piazza della Signoria, one of its most historically significant squares.
The 14th-centuryPalazzo Vecchio is still preeminent with itscrenellated tower. The square is also shared with theLoggia della Signoria, theUffizi Gallery, the Palace of the Tribunale della Mercanzia (1359) (now the Bureau of Agriculture), and thePalazzo Uguccioni (1550, with a facade attributed toRaphael, who however died thirty years before its construction). Located in front of thePalazzo Vecchio is thePalace of the Assicurazioni Generali (1871, built in Renaissance style).
ThePalazzo Vecchio ("Old Palace") is thetown hall of the city. This massive,Romanesque,crenellated fortress-palace is among the most impressive town halls ofTuscany.[2] Overlooking the square with its copy ofMichelangelo's David statue as well the gallery of statues in the adjacentLoggia dei Lanzi, it is one of the most significant private places in Italy, and it hosts cultural points and museums.
Originally called thePalazzo della Signoria, after theSignoria of Florence, the ruling body of theRepublic of Florence, it was also given several other names:Palazzo del Popolo,Palazzo dei Priori, andPalazzo Ducale, in accordance with the varying use of the palace during its long history. The building acquired its current name when the Medici duke's residence was moved across the Arno to thePalazzo Pitti.
TheLoggia dei Lanzi consists of wide arches open to the street, threebays wide and one bay deep. The arches rest on clustered columns withCorinthian capitals. The wide arches appealed so much to the Florentines, thatMichelangelo even proposed that they should be continued all around thePiazza della Signoria.[citation needed] The vivacious construction of the Loggia is in stark contrast with the severe architecture of thePalazzo Vecchio. It is effectively an open-air sculpture gallery of antique andRenaissance art including theMedici lions.
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TheTribunale della Mercanzia (Tribunal of Merchandise) is a building where in the past lawyers judged in the trial between merchants. Here was a porch painted byTaddeo Gaddi,Antonio del Pollaiuolo andSandro Botticelli, today stored in theUffizi gallery.
Built for Giovanni Uguccioni since 1550, its design has been variously attributed toRaphael,Michelangelo,Bartolomeo Ammannati orRaffaello da Montelupo.
ThePalazzo delle Assicurazioni Generali was designed in theNeo-Renaissance style in 1871, and is one of the very few purpose-builtcommercial buildings in the centre of the city. On the ground floor of this palace is the historical cafèRivoire.
Other palaces are thepalazzo dei Buonaguisi and thepalazzo dell'Arte dei Mercatanti.
The piazza was already a central square in the original Roman townFlorentia, surrounded by a theatre, Roman baths and a workshop for dyeing textiles. Later there was a church San Romolo, a loggia and an enormous 5th-century basilica. This was shown by the archaeological treasures found beneath the square when it was repaved in the 1980s. Even remains of aNeolithic site were found. The square started taking shape from 1268 on, when houses ofGhibellines were pulled down by the victoriousGuelphs. The square remained a long time untidy, full of holes. In 1385 it was paved for the first time. In 1497Girolamo Savonarola and his followers carried out on this square the famousBonfire of the Vanities, burning in a large pile books, gaming tables, fine dresses, and works of poets. In front of theFountain of Neptune, a round marble plaque marks the exact spot where Savonarola was hanged and burned on May 23, 1498.[3]
Various imposing statues ring this square including:
Loggia dei Lanzi
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There are several restrictions on car movements in the city with various areas designated aszona a traffico limitato (ZTL), which translates to "restricted traffic zone." Areas such as thePiazza della Signoria, as well as those ofPiazza del Duomo,Via Tornabuoni, andPiazza Pitti, are entirely reserved for pedestrian use. An exception is made forfire trucks,ambulances, and localtaxis.[7] In March 2023, an American tourist drove his red, Swiss-registeredFerrari in Piazza della Signoria and received afine of $500.[8]
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