Piazza della Signoria in Florence: What to See, History and Fun Facts

Piazza della Signoria is the beating heart of the historic centre of Florence. It is one of the most famous squares not only in the city, but in our entire country.

It is located between Piazza del Duomo and the Arno river, in the medieval area of Florence, south of the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore.

It covers an area of approximately 7,800 sqm and is the centre of local power, as well as a point of reference for Florentine social life.

Rich in monuments and statues, it is overlooked by some of the most important buildings in the city:

Palazzo Vecchio;
Loggia della Signoria or Loggia dei Lanzi;
Tribunale della Mercanzia;
Palazzo Uguccioni;
Palazzo delle Assicurazioni Generali;
Palazzo dei Buonaguisi;
Palazzo dell’Arte dei Mercatanti;
Palazzo e case dei Guidacci.

Piazza della Signoria: history

The area of today’s Piazza della Signoria has been inhabited since the Neolithic period. Evidence of this comes from the archaeological finds discovered in the area in 1974.

This area was equally important during the Roman era, when it was equipped with a thermal plant and a fullonica near the theatre. The remains emerged beneath Palazzo Vecchio.

During the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries, an early Christian basilica measuring 27×50 metres was built. In the same period, the spa and fullonica fell into disuse, and were used only by the artisan activities present in the square.

During the 7th century, the basilica was replaced by a church dedicated to Saint Cecilia.

Piazza della Signoria as we know it today started to take shape at the end of the 13th century, following the demolition of the Ghibelline houses.

The area was paved but still did not have a unified style.

In the same period, Palazzo della Signoria was born, the centre of the political life of the city.

During the 14th century, the Loggia della Signoria and the Tribunale della Mercanzia were built.

Other significant transformations occurred during the nineteenth century, with what is remembered as the rehabilitation of the historic centre. In this phase, for example, the Assicurazioni Generali building was built.

Thanks to its central position in the city fabric, Piazza della Signoria was the heart of events, representations and performances.

Here on 23 May 1498 Girolamo Savonarola was hanged and burned for heresy. In memory of that event, we find a plaque placed in front of the Fountain of Neptune.

In the past, the Festa degli Omaggi (Homage Festival) was celebrated there, during which the peoples conquered by Florence had to parade and offer gifts.

On the same day, dedicated to Saint John, fires were lit which, starting from the 14th century, were replaced by coloured explosions made possible by the discovery of gunpowder.

Also in Piazza della Signoria, the Giostra del Saracino was held, a medieval game that symbolises the struggle between Christians and infidels during the period of the Crusades.

Even today, however, the Fiorita takes place. This is is a holiday celebrated every 23rd May and refers to the Savonarola fire. Citizens and municipal authorities sprinkle flower petals on the site where the heretic was killed.

Piazza della Signoria in Florence: what to see

Piazza della Signoria is full of things to see. This location in Florence alone would deserve a one-day stop.

During our visit we can admire:

Palazzo Vecchio: it is the most important and well-known palace in the city as well as the seat of political power. It has always been the Town Hall of the city, as well as a reference of fourteenth-century Florentine architecture. It houses the Palazzo Vecchio Museum, which displays important works of art and architectural masterpieces. Among the locations not to be missed are the Salone dei Cinquecento, the Studiolo di Francesco I, Michelozzo’s courtyard. Inside Palazzo Vecchio, we find a copy of Michelangelo’s David and the sculptures of Adam and Eve and Hercules and Cacus by Baccio Bandinelli. The Palace was designed by Arnolfo di Cambio and is completed by Arnolfo’s Tower, 95 metres high;
Loggia dei Lanzi: this loggia, located to the right of Palazzo Vecchio and next to the Uffizi, is also known as Loggia della Signoria or Loggia dell’Orcagna. It was designed between 1376 and 1381 based on the work of Benci di Cione Dami and Simone di Francesco Talenti. It is called Loggia dei Lanzi because the Landsknechts camped here in 1527. Architecturally, it blends Gothic and Classical style in a perfect way. It was designed to hold public assemblies and ceremonies. During the sixteenth century, it lost this function and became a real open-air museum where it is possible to admire works such as Perseus by Cellini, the Abduction of a Sabine Woman by Giambologna, the Rape of Polyxena by Pio Fedi, the Sabine Women, Thusnelda, Patroclus and Menelaus;
Palazzo Uguccioni: built from 1550, this Palace is more protruding than the adjacent ones. The architecture is classical in style, with references to the late Roman Renaissance style. The ground floor has two orders of paired Ionic and Corinthian columns. Near the door, we find the bust of Grand Duke Francesco I;
Tribunale della Mercanzia: it housed the Tribunale della Mercanzia (Tribunal of Merchandise) and was built in 1359. On its facade, we can admire copies of the coats of arms of the twenty-one Arts. The palace housed several works by Pollaiolo, now exhibited in the Uffizi Gallery: Temperance, Prudence, Justice, Faith, Charity, Hope, Fortitude. Inside the Tribunale della Mercanzia, we find the Gucci Museum, opened in 2011 and featuring 6 rooms spread over 2 floors;
Palazzo delle Assicurazioni Generali: it is a Renaissance-style building built in 1871. Its levels broke the canons of the time: the building has four floors instead of the canonical three, expected at the time. Its construction decreed the demolition of the Tettoia dei Pisani and the Church of Saint Cecilia. Today, we find the historic Rivoire café.

Piazza della Signoria: the statues not to be missed

One of the most important components of Piazza della Signoria is represented by its statues, a secular allegorical cycle of the highest standard:

David di Michelangelo: it was sculpted during the 1500s and symbolises the people who defeat the tyrant with the help of God. The original statue is kept in the Galleria dell’Accademia;
The Marzocco by Donatello: it is a statue made of pietra serena, depicting a lion resting its paw on the Florentine lily;
Perseus by Benvenuto Cellini: placed near the Loggia dei Lanzi, it represents Perseus raising the head of Medusa. It was sculpted in 1554 and is the symbol of the end of the republican experience;
Judith and Holofernes by Donatello: also in this case, we are faced with a work that communicates the victory of the people against tyranny. It is made in bronze;
Hercules and Cacus: the work by Baccio Bandinelli was created in 1533 and is a sculpture that symbolises victory over the wicked, obtained by resorting to strength and cunning;
Termini marmorei: made by Vincenzo de’ Rossi and Baccio Bandinelli, they can be found on the sides of the entrance to Palazzo Vecchio and depict Philemon and Baucis, transformed into oak and lime by Jupiter;
Equestrian Monument of Cosimo I: it is a bronze statue made by Giambologna in 1594.

Piazza della Signoria in Florence: the monuments

In addition to the buildings and statues that characterise Piazza della Signoria and which have an incomparable value, we cannot forget one of the symbols of the area.

We are talking about the Fountain of Neptune, the first public fountain in Florence.

Also known by the names of Piazza and Biancone, it was made between 1563 and 1565 by a group of artists, led by Bartolomeo Ammannati and Giambologna.

The fountain is on the North-West corner of Palazzo Vecchio and is an example of Mannerist sculpture.

This work started from a large block of white Carrara marble and saw the participation of artists such as Cellini, Ammannati, Giambologna, Francesco Moschino, Vincenzo Danti, Vincenzo de’ Rossi, Battista di Benedetto Fiammeri, Girolamo di Noferi da Sassoferrato, Donato Berti, Andrea Calamech and Raffaello Fortini.

The Fountain of Neptune is characterised by an octagon-shaped basin. On its edges, we find satyrs, nymphs and fauns, as well as many decorative elements.

The chariot (on a pedestal decorated with reliefs of Scylla and Charybdis) with four horses is in the centre of the basin. The wheels bear the twelve zodiac signs.

Above it we find a Neptune made of Carrara marble.

Behind Neptune are two tritons.

Finally, we can see the groups of marine deities placed at the corners of the basin.

Piazza della Signoria: Fun Facts

Let’s discover little-known anecdotes and news about Piazza della Signoria and its monuments:

Palazzo Vecchio was the seat of the Italian Parliament between 1865 and 1871, when Florence was the capital of Italy;
Palazzo Guidacci boasts a sundial created during the nineteenth century and which indicated the exact midday;
Importuno: legend attributes this work to Michelangelo. We find it on Palazzo Vecchio and it represents a male profile on a cornerstone, showing a person who entertained Michelangelo with idle chatter, causing him to waste precious time;
The name Piazza della Signoria derives from the Consiglio della Signoria (Council of the Signoria), or the priors who, together with the Council of Gonfalonieri and the Twelve Buonomini, made up the most important political body of the city;
Behind the Fountain of Neptune we find a plaque stating that it was forbidden to rinse clothes in it, so as not to dirty the fountain.