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Piazza della Signoria, located just to the north of the Uffizi Gallery, has been the political center of Florence for hundreds of years. The Palazzo Vecchio, which is the town hall, forms the eastern border of the square.

The Palazzo Vecchio

Campanile, Palazzo Vecchio

Many political rallies and orations occurred here. In 1497 during the short-lived Republic of Florence, the somewhat fanatical leader of the city, the priest Girolamo Savonarola, conducted the infamous Bonfire of the Vanities in the Piazza, in which many articles from around the city which were considered sinful were put to the torch. This included mirrors and anything women used to make themselves more attractive, as well as musical instruments, game equipment, books and paintings. It’s not known exactly which artworks were lost, but since this was Renaissance Florence, one would think there had to be some pretty good stuff. Savonarola himself, having run afoul of Pope Alexander VI, was hung and burned on the same spot the following year. A plaque in the ground still commemorates the event.

As if to spite Savonarola, the Piazza became a virtual outdoor statuary gallery over the next hundred years, with the statues mainly being of the unclothed variety. An arcade called the Loggia dei Lanzi, at the north end of the Uffizi, displays a number of classically-themed statues.

The Loggia dei Lanzi	The Loggia dei Lanzi
The Rape of the Sabine Women, Giambologna (1583)	Perseus with the Head of Medusa, Benvenuto Cellini (1554)
Hercules and Cacus, Perseus, Sabine Women HD Video (15.4 MB) SD Video (4.3 MB)	Menelaus and Patroclus, Ancient Roman
The Rape of Polyxena, Pio Fedi (1865)	Hercules and the Centaur Nessus, Giambologna (1599)
Sabine Women, Hercules and Nessus, Menelaus and Patroclus HD Video (12.6 MB) SD Video (2.4 MB)	Rape of Polyxena, Perseus, David, Fountain of Neptune, Cosimo I HD Video (17.4 MB) SD Video (7.9 MB)

There are also several statues scattered around the area near the Palazzo Vecchio. On its completion in 1504, Michelangelo’s statue of David was situated next to the Palazzo’s front door. It remained there until 1873, when it was moved to the Galleria dell’Accademia for its protection from the elements and from its admirers (David’s left arm was broken during a political riot at one point). A copy occupies the position now.

Front Door of Palazzo Vecchio	Michelangelo's David (Copy)
Connie, Bob, Nella and David	Fountain of Neptune, Bartolomeo Ammannati (1575)

We passed through the Piazza on more than one occasion, due to its strategic location. After our Uffizi visit we lingered in the Piazza for awhile, admiring the statues. Then we continued north in search of gelato. Nella had been on a quest throughout the trip to locate a variety of gelato called cassata, which is based on a traditional Sicilian dessert containing assorted bits of fruit. We finally found cassata gelato at a place called Festival del Gelato, and Nella was complete. Festival del Gelato had a huge selection, and the rest of us also experimented with some of the exotic flavors.

Festival del Gelato

Selection, Festival del Gelato

Nella Enjoying Herself

After some rest in the hotel room, we went looking for dinner. Nella wanted seafood, and we found some that was good and reasonably priced at Lobs Fish Restaurant on Via Faenza. But since we didn’t have reservations, we were placed in the back room, surrounded by shelves of wine bottles. Even so, the service was good, and we’ll probably go looking for Lobs on our next trip to Florence, whenever that may be.

Lobs Fish Restaurant

Nella's Mussels

Bob Dealing with Crab

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