Palazzo Vecchio Museum and Tower in Florence
One of the most important historical buildings of Florence, Palazzo Vecchio was built between 1298 and 1314 by Arnolfo di Cambio, a prominent Florentine architect, with various additions by Vasari in the 16th century.
Palazza Vecchio literally means Old Palace. It became known as the old palace after the Medici family moved from this palace to the Pitti Palace.
The museum offers its visitors alternatives in ticket options. It is a separate program to join the archaeological tour and climb the tower together with the Vecchio Museum.
If you do not want to participate in the archaeological tour or if you want to participate only in the museum and the archaeological tour, you have to pay different prices. You can also buy the entrance to the museum, ascent to the tower or archaeological tour tickets separately.
The most striking point of the building is the 94 meter high bell tower. The entire palace can be visited in about 1.5 – 2 hours with guided tours. One advantage of the tours is that you can also visit places that you cannot visit individually. It is useful to consider this when buying a ticket.
The first room at the entrance of the building is used as an exhibition hall. It is possible to see the old state of Florence between the city walls in a drawing in the room. The keys used to enter through the gates of these walls are also exhibited here.
The large hall on the ground floor of the palace is called the Salone dei Cinquecento (Hall of Five Hundred) because the council consisted of 500 members during the period. All 500 people in the people’s council are chosen from people who have held bureaucratic positions in their families for 3 generations. This shows the importance of the hall.
The works of art in the hall are also very important. The most interesting sculpture in the room decorated by Vasari is the statue of Victory by Michelangelo.
The small room next to the hall, Studiolo di Francesco I, is covered with paintings as it is. In the room with paintings by many famous artists such as Casini, Portelli, Vasari, Cavalori, the door to a small room belonging to Francesco is seen at the bottom right.
One of the artifacts you should see in the museum is Dante’s death mask. The original face mask of Dante Alighieri, the author of the Divine Comedy, one of the greatest works in the history of world literature, is on display here. Don’t leave without seeing it.
The museum has many rooms belonging to the Medici family. Each room is filled with unique decorations and paintings. Floor and ceiling patterns attract the attention of every tourist.
Some of the rooms are filled with items from the Medici families. The rooms with various sculptures and furniture overlook the Duomo. They also see the Piazza della Signoria.
