A Day in Florence at the Palazzo Vecchio

Hall of Five Hundred


Fresco of Florence under siege


Portion of colorful fresco


Yesterday we drove to Florence, partly to celebrate my birthday and partly because we try to spend at least one day there whenever we are in Italy. It only takes us about an hour to get there by car so we rose at a leisurely hour, stopped for coffee and pastry along the way and arrived there shortly before noon. When we left the house it was sheeting down rain and the heavy downpour continued until we were about a third of the way there. It did not bode well for a day of sightseeing on foot but amazingly during our five hour stay in Florence it only spritzed for a short while.

We decided to visit the Palazzo Vecchio, the city hall located in the center of town. Its tall tower presides over the sculpture-filled Piazza della Signoria, most famous for being the original site of Michelangelo’s David and the gateway to the Uffizi museum. I had never been further inside than the first courtyard so it was with great interest that I toured the palace. It was extensively remodeled when the Medici family was returned to power as Grand Dukes of Tuscany in the 1500s. The renovations were undertaken with the mandate that the interior space be updated without changing the exterior. Thus, a building that began life as a fortified castle was enlarged and transformed into a royal palace. The changes created some interesting spaces—windowless studies, tiny chapels and views into narrow light wells.

The most stunning space is the Hall of the Five Hundred, an immense hall that started out as the room where the city council met. Under Cosimo I and his architect, Giorgio Vasari, it was transformed into an awe inspiring ducal audience chamber. Later, in the late 1800s, it served as the house of parliament for the newly unified Italy. The carved and painted ceiling is particularly interesting as is the fact that the room itself is a rectangle set into a trapezoidal building. Thus, narrow triangular spaces sandwich the great hall at the north and south ends.

There is some painting and sculpture throughout the palace but most is not terribly interesting. More noteworthy are the frescoes and paintings that decorate nearly every ceiling and many walls. I especially liked the map room that has wood panels painted with depictions of the world as it was known at the end of the 16th century. Unfortunately, the battery in my camera gave out well before we reached that part of the palace.

After we completed our explorations of the Palazzo Vecchio, we found a spot near the Duomo for a late lunch. Dom had tomatoes and tuna while I had a plate of Tuscan antipasto—cold cuts, bruschette and olives. We then looked for skiwear at a couple of stores (for my birthday!) but did not find anything appealing. On the way back to the car the shop windows were brightly lit. High fashion clothing, leather handbags and gloves, Florentine paper and traditional ceramics glowed with color and life. The dull autumn daylight was fast fading and we drove home in the dark.

The rain started again when we were halfway back to Lucca. Lightening lit up the sky and traffic was heavy. Nonetheless we arrived back home about 6:30 pm. Later, rain still pouring down, we went for dinner at the nearby Ristorante La Terrazza. Unlike most evenings we ordered both pasta and meat courses plus dessert. What are birthdays for if not an excuse to indulge!