Tours / Private Tour of Palazzo Vecchio, the political centre of Florence

Learn about the role of the oldest palace formerly representing the power of the Medici family.

It was built in the Middle Ages on Piazza Signoria by Arnolfo di Cambio, the architect of the dome of Florence and the Church of Santa Croce. It now consists of decorated halls, art collections and an archaeological site in the basement. At the beginning, it was originally called Palazzo Della Signoria. Subsequently, it took the name of Palazzo Vecchio when the Medici family and their court settled in Palazzo Pitti. We will also show you the awe of the Neptune fountain.
At the entrance of the Palazzo, you will find two huge statues: a copy of David by Michelangelo (the original is in the Academy Gallery) and on the other side, Hercules and Cacus, a work by Baccio Bandinelli. Still on the side of the Palace you will find the Loggia dei Lanzi or Loggia della Signoria, an open-air museum. In between, a little further, you have the Uffizi Gallery built by the architect Giorgio Vasari in 1560.
Discover the elegant courtyard of Michelozzo inside the Palazzo. You will be able to venture up the stairs and admire the superb Hall of Five Hundred covered with frescoes by Vasari and measuring over 18 metres high. It is the largest room in Florence. Explore the rooms of Francis I of Medici, the private apartments of Eleanor of Toledo, and the small chapel lavishly decorated by Bronzino. Throughout your visit, browse the impressive frescoes, paintings and statues of the greatest Renaissance artists such as Michelangelo, Donatello, Verrocchio and many others.

During this tour, you are offered a view of the room of Vasari..

In order to contemplate this marvellous masterpiece a little further, you will meet the funerary mask with incredibly realistic details of Dante Alighieri, the famous writer of Divine Comedy with its Inferno. Afterwards, enter the Hall of the Lily Flowers, decorated with trompe l'oeil frescoes by Domenico Ghirlandaio.

You will find the original of Judith and Holofernes, a statue produced by Donatello.

Take a look at the Map Room which reveals the geographic knowledge of the time, showing many world maps of the Planet in the 16th century. In this room is hidden a secret passage: will you be able to find it? As in most cases different passages were used to escape the enemy invaders, but you will know more with our expert guide during your excursion.
THE BUILDING IS CURRENTLY USED BY THE FLORENCE CITY COUNCIL, WHICH MEANS THAT IT CONTINUES TO HAVE ITS POLITICAL FUNCTION.