Travel by Photos – Piazza della Signoria in Florence
You should know how much I love Florence by now. I took too many photos in Florence until a point where processing all of them really took me months of free time. Late always better than no show, here I’m gradually getting them sorted out and posting them in Travel Feeder. 🙂 I have shared where we stayed for 2 nights in Florence before this. After crossing the River Arno via the Ponte Vecchio, the first tourist spot we wandered around in historic city centre of Florence was Piazza della Signoria, a popular meeting square for both local Florentines and foreign visitors.
Here are some of my travel photos shot in and around the square…
Piazza della Signoria was once the political and financial hub of ancient Florence during the 14th century, with various commercial and political buildings or palaces built around the square. Today, it is one of the most frequented travel sites in Florence as travelers can see and admire many of the finest sculptures created by top artists and sculptors during the Renaissance era. “The David” statue by Michelangelo is one of them.
Loggia dei Lanzi, an open-air sculpture gallery of antique and Renaissance art sits at the corner of the piazza, consists of wide arches open to the street, three bays wide and one bay deep. It features many of the finest sculptures which brought in from all over Italy.
Another angle view of Loggia dei Lanzi, which turned into a resting podium for many visitors.
Benvenuto Cellini’s “Perseus With the Head of Medusa” is one of the featured piece of art of the gallery made from bronze and is also one of my favourite sculpture. Look at the bloody Medusa’s head! Don’t worry, she won’t turn you into stone… 🙂
Giambologna’s “The Rape of the Sabine Women” in front and “Hercules beating the Centaur Nessus” at far back, 2 amazing multi-figured sculptures made from one imperfect block of white marble.
Palazzo Vecchio, the city hall of Florence, is the most significant building at Piazza della Signoria, with the replica of the “David” statue placed in front of its doorway. The original David used to be placed here but for preservation purposes, it was moved into the Accademia Gallery not far away from the Duomo.
The interior look of Palazzo Vecchio’s courtyard.
Apart from statues, sculptures and architecture, open air cafes are another feature of Piazza della Signoria. Travelers who had walked for the whole morning could sit down and relax there. People watching is another great thing to do also.
Sitting beside the Palazzo Vecchio are another two great pieces of art. One of them is the bronze “Equestrian statue of Cosimo I”, created by Giambologna also.
Another one is the “Fountain of Neptune” by Bartolomeo Ammannati with assistance from Giambologna, which features a Neptune figure at the centre of the octagonal fountain and river gods at perimeters.
Click HERE to view all my travel photos in full resolution via my flickr album.
Thanks to my FIT style of travel to Florence, we managed to wander around the piazza at our own sweet time. Next, we continued to explore another iconic structure of Florence, the highest building of all, the Duomo! If you love Florence as much as I do, why don’t plan your next budget trip to Europe? Check out my planning guide for Europe budget tour for some tips. 🙂 – Travel Feeder, your ultimate photo travel guide to Europe
About The Author
Cecil Lee
The author is an avid traveler and photography hobbyist who loves to share with others his travel and photo-taking experience in many popular tourist destinations around Europe, Asia and Australasia. Read the exciting stories with many photos captured on his journeys.
