Ponte Vecchio is one of the oldest bridges in Florence, built in the Roman times around 990 AD, and is the only bridge in Florence that wasn’t destroyed during WW2.

During the 13th century, it was lined with all types of shops-butchers, fishmongers, tanners.  But in 1593, Duke Ferdinand I decreed that only goldsmiths and jewelers were permitted to have their shops there. 

Piazza della Signoria was the political center of the Florentine Republic, and is surrounded by the Palazzo Vecchio, the Palazzo degli Uffizi and the Loggia della Lanzi.

Loggia dei Lanzi or Loggia della Signoria was built between 1376-1382 and was used for public ceremonies, such as swearing nobility into office.  During the reign of Duke Cosimo I (1537-1569), it was used to house his Landsknechts (the Italian word for such was abbreviated to lanzi), Germany mercenary pikemen. 

When the Uffizi was built behind the Loggia in the 1560s, its roof was altered into a terrace which allowed the Medici princes to watch ceremonies in the Piazza della Signoria below.

Today it’s an open-air museum displaying statues for the Renaissance; it’s part of the Gallerie degli Uffizi.

The most significant sculptures are: the Medici Lion, the Rape of Polyxena, Hercules and Nessus, Perseus with the head of Medusa, Rape of the Sabine Women and Menelaus bearing the corpse of Patroclus. 

Palazzo Vecchio or Palazzo della Signoria was a town hall built in 1299 when the people of Florence decided to build a palace to house the government organizations of the Republic of Florence.  They wanted it to represent the power of the Republic and its people.

In the 16th century, Duke Cosimo I de Medici (1537-1569) ordered that it be restructured and decorated, and turned into his private residence.  After which, it was known as Palazzo Ducale.   In 1549, Cosimo I’s wife, Eleanor of Toledo, purchased the Pitti Palace, and the couple moved there.  At which time, the name of the palace changed to Palazzo Vecchio, meaning ‘Old Palace’, and it was used to house government offices and valuables. 

Fun fact: Cosimo I had a series of hidden passageways built within the Palazzo Vecchio, called the VasarI Corridor. They connected to the Palazzo Pitti and were built to allow him to escape enemies and to store valuables.  For safety reasons they are closed to the public.