Palazzo Vecchio and Piazza Signoria Guided Tour

Our Guide will introduce you to the extraordinary splendour of one of most renowned, historical and photographed squares and palaces in the world. Piazza della Signoria with the sculptural masterpieces under the Loggia della Signoria, by Cellini and Giambologna.

It is an incomparable open-air museum and the elegant Palazzo della Signoria with its soaring tower has been the political headquarters and one of the symbols of the city for centuries.

It was founded in 1299, designed by Arnolfo di Cambio and was the seat of the elected lords (Signori) of the Republic (Palazzo della Signoria) in the fourteenth century.

After the Medici conquered Florence in 1530, it remained the political headquarters of the town, as it is to this day, and in the 1540s Duke Cosimo de’ Medici appointed Vasari to transform it into a sumptuous abode for his family; when the Medici family moved to Palazzo Pitti, they called it Palazzo Vecchio (Old Palace).

Entering the building, one encounters the exquisitely elegant courtyard, the magnificent Hall of the Five Hundred and the intriguing complex of the Monumental Residential Quarters, frescoed by Ghirlandaio, Salviati, Bronzino and Vasari, as well as the statues by Michelangelo and Donatello.

Highlights:

Piazza della Signoria
Loggia della Signoria
Palazzo della Signoria

Price includes:

English-speaking professional guide
Museum entrance fees
Earphones are provided for groups of over 15 participants inside the museum

Departure time:

The tour is available all year round on every Monday at 16:15.

Please be at the meeting point 15 minutes before the tour begins!

Departure point:

Piazza della Signoria, at the statue of Cosimo on horse back.

Duration:

1 hour 45 minutes

Please note:

The tour is available in English (min 2 ppl), French (min 2 ppl), Spanish (min 2 ppl), German (min 2 ppl) and Italian (min 2 ppl).