Palazzo Vecchio is the city hall of Florence. It was created at the beginning of the 14th century as the Palazzo del Popolo, or the People's Palace. The battlement-like fortress building is one of the most famous landmarks in Florence.
The first stone of the Palazzo Vecchio was laid in 1299. Construction began after the Florentines wanted to create a new government building, reflecting the importance of the ever-growing city. 
Bell tower of Palazzo Vecchio
The building was completed twenty-three years later when a large bell was raised onto the impressive bell tower. They called him to announce public meetings, or to warn of impending danger. The tower is 94 meters high (at that time it was a very impressive height) called Torre Arnolfo in honor of the Italian architect and sculptor Arnolfo di Cambio. It is he who is considered the main designers of the Palazzo Vecchio. 
The palace was originally known as the Palazzo del Popolo (People's Palace). Later it was renamed Palazzo della Signoria in honor of the Signors, representatives of important families who ruled the city. This explains the name of the square next to the palace - Piazza Signoria. After the Duke Cosimo I came to power in 1537, the palace was renamed Palazzo Ducale (Duke's Palace). When the Duke moved to Palazzo Pitti, the building became known as Palazzo Vecchio, or Old Palace. 
The stone façade of the palace has remained virtually unchanged since the fourteenth century. Two rows of graceful Gothic windows with the coats of arms of the Florentine republic above them immediately attract attention. The exquisitely decorated marble border at the entrance was added in 1528.
The interior of the Palazzo Vecchio dates back to the reign of Cosimo I, during which the Medici family architect Giorgio Vasari worked on the decoration of the palace. Most of the frescoes in the palace were also created by Vasari. 
The main courtyard was designed in 1453 by Michelozzi Michelozzo, and the small fountain in the center is decorated with a dolphin statue created by Verrocchio. Vasari made a copy of it for the photo, and the original statue was moved to a room on the second floor of Palazzo Vecchio. 
Two monumental staircases lead to the most impressive room of the palace, the Salone dei Cinquecento, on the ground floor. The Great Hall was used for the meetings and gatherings of the Florentine nobility. In 1503, Piedro Soderini invited Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo to decorate the hall. Cosimo I later commissioned Vasari to restore the Hall - Vasari worked on the frescoes from 1563 to 1565. The frescoes show scenes of Cosimo's victory over Pisa and Siena, followed by the creation of the main duchy of Tuscany. 
In March 2012, scientists found evidence that in 1505 Leonardo da Vinci did indeed paint a fresco in the Salon dei Cinquecento, which was hidden under the work of Vasari. Da Vinci's fresco entitled "The Battle of Anghiari" commemorated the victory of Florence over Milan in 1440. Another interesting room in the Palazzo Vecchio is the Lily Room on the second floor. The walls of the hall are decorated with golden lilies and frescoes of Roman dignitaries. Palazzo can be safely included in the list of leading
Name:
Location: Florence (Italy)
Style: Renaissance
Architect (s): Giorgio Vasari, Arnolfo di Cambio, Michelozzo di Bartolomeo
Palazzo architecture
A source:
I.A. Bartenev "Architects of the Italian Renaissance"
1936; Publishing house: OGIZ
Palazzo Vecchio is also known as the Florentine Signoria. It was built at the end of the 13th century by the architect Arnolfo di Cambio. Michelozzo's participation comes down to the solution of the main courtyard of the palazzo and the architectural and decorative treatment of the interior.
The exterior of Palazzo Vecchio is designed in the spirit of Romanesque castles. The courtyard, which is in the shape of an irregular square, retains the old spatial scheme characteristic of the work of Brunelleschi and Michelozzo (for example, the monastery in Fiesole, Palazzo Medici Ricardi). The difference is the motive of the galleries on the ground floor. Instead of the former light graceful columns, there are rather solid massive support pillars of equal diameter along the entire height. The arches acquired a more powerful appearance, and the height of individual floors also increased. The courtyard of the Palazzo Vecchio does not make an impression lightness and intimacy; there is already a transition to more solemn and monumental methods and forms.
The effect achieved by Michelozzo is the result of the widespread use of the method of contrasts. For example, the heavy array of walls contrasts with the open space of the galleries. The general isolation and confinement of the courtyard is further enhanced and emphasized by the infinity of heavenly space, which opens through the square opening of the roof. The light pouring down from above brings out architectural details and creates an amazing play of light and shade.
The stucco ornaments on the fusts of the columns, their capitals, the painting of the wall surfaces, the fountain in the middle of the courtyard belong to a later period and cannot be attributed to Michelozzo's designs. The interior decoration is extremely diverse and is of great interest. In a certain part, it appears as if further development those decorative principles that were laid by Michelozzo in the chapel of San Miniato and in the church of Santa Annunziata. The common points in these structures are the unity of the ornament with the design, the consistency in the use of individual decorative motifs, and the variety of ornamentation.
The new features of Michelozzo's work include greater relief, volumetricness of decorative elements and a general increase in their share in architectural design.
In this example, one can trace the widespread use of caissons for processing ceilings, due to the wide distribution that flat ceilings are getting by this time, as well as the relatively frequent use of wall surfaces for painting (Painting in Palazzo Vecchio and a significant share of internal architectural design are a work of a later period). The courtyard of the Palazzo Tornabuoni, which he soon built, is also characteristic of Michelozzo's art.
Reconstruction of Vasari
In 1558, Vasari was commissioned to carry out a radical restructuring of the building: redevelopment of the interior, their decorative finishing and furnishings. The redevelopment pursued specific goals: to create a greater consistency in the layout of the halls and rooms; the old stairs had to be redone too - steep and uncomfortable. Vasari showed great practicality in rearranging the interior.
The decorative work consisted in the introduction of new, in the words of Vasari himself, "luxurious stucco ornaments of the latest taste", as well as in the "decoration with a variety of pictorial images."
The colossal compositions of Palazzo Vecchio are unquestionably the most significant of Vasari's paintings. Among them are a number of frescoes of the Medici family chronicles, portraits painted from life, as well as a large number of wall paintings on mythological subjects.
The most important work of Vasari in the Palazzo Vecchio was the restructuring large hall Council of five hundred, where the rafters were raised and, thus, the room was greatly raised; he painted the hall with paintings "representing naval battles, sieges of cities, buildings, ceremonies, triumphs and other objects," as he himself defined them. Like all of Vasari's works, they were completed in record time; the size of the paintings did not bother the artist. In his biography, Vasari says about this: "To explain the reason that made me rush to finish the work I have begun, I will say that I knew the negotiations on the marriage of our prince with the sister of the now reigning monarch." Preparing the palace for this event, the artist forced the work, not always caring about its artistic value.
In the architectural and decorative design of the Palazzo Vecchio, the specificity of his manner was fully manifested: there is a lot of stylization in the door frames, in the processing of ceilings, in all ornamental elements, but little of the true classics. Vasari, in pursuit of external beauty and originality, resorted to various kinds of "liberties" in relation to forms and motives, and was not averse to even imitate Michelangelo to a certain extent.
Vasari does not oversaturate the planes with ornamentation, does not over-enrich them. However, this ornamentation itself often does not correspond much to the nature of the architectural form.
- General history of architecture, volume 5 Architecture of Western Europe XV-XVI centuries Renaissance 1967, Moscow
- Mikhailovsky I.B. “Theory of classical architectural forms”. Reprint edition. - M .: "Architecture-S", 2006. - 288 p., Ill.
- P.P. Gnedich “General History of Art. Live. Sculpture. Architecture". Modern version Moscow "Eksmo", 2009
Sources:
Palazzo Vecchio (Old Palace) is located in one of the most beautiful squares in Italy - Piazza della Signoria. The construction of the Palace began in 1294 according to the design of Arnolfo di Cambio as a fortress to protect the residence of the priori - a powerful square building with a jagged end. The high tower (94 meters), which has risen above the gallery since 1310, makes the palace even more solid. Outside, the building is faced with hard stone rustication. The three-storey façade is decorated with paired windows inscribed in semicircular arches, which gives the whole building an impression of restrained austerity. Between 1343 and 1592, changes and additions were made to the original design of Arnolfo di Cambio (both inside and outside the building). Masters such as Kronaka, Vasari and Buontalenti took part in these works. On the facade, under the arches of the gallery, one can see frescoes with nine coats of arms of the city's communes. The watch has a mechanism that dates back to 1667. On both sides of the entrance to the palace there are marble sculptures for hanging chains.
In front of the Palazzo Vecchio there are a number of sculptures, including the famous copy of David by Michelangelo, which replaced the original in 1873. Above the facade above the entrance is a medallion with the monogram of Christ, flanked by figures of lions against a bright blue background of the tympanum and topped with a triangular cornice. The Latin inscription "Rex regum et Dominus dominantium", which means "The king rules, and God rules", was placed here in 1551 by the decree of Cosimo I.
The salon of the five hundred Palazzo Vecchio, intended to hold meetings of the Great People's Council after the second expulsion of the Medici from Florence, was created by the architect Cronac. Vasari was in charge of decorating the hall. Allegorical paintings on the ceiling and walls tell about the triumphant Return of the Grand Duke Cosimo I to Florence, about the History of the conquests of Pisa and Siena. Among the marble statues, Michelangelo's sculptural group "A genius trampling on brute force" should be noted.
Among the Supreme Apartments, apart from the apartments of Eleanor Toledskaya and the Audience Hall, the Hall of Lilies should be distinguished. The hall owes its name to the decoration depicting a golden lily flower on a blue background. On the walls there are frescoes by Domenico Ghirlandaio. The famous Judith, Donatello's masterpiece, is on display in the Hall of Lilies. It used to stand in Piazza della Signoria.
August 23rd, 2013After looking around in Piazza della Signoria, we enter the Palazzo Vecchio.
The interiors open with a lovely courtyard, in the middle of which there is a fountain surrounded by orange trees. It was created by Michelozzo in 1453. More than a hundred years later, in 1565, Giorgio Vasari, the court architect of Cosimo I, painted its walls with views of the Austrian cities of Vienna, Linz and Graz in honor of the marriage of Cosimo I's son Francesco I de Medici with Joanna of Austria, daughter of the Holy Roman Emperor. 
In general, the interiors of the Palazzo Vecchio are connected with the name of Giorgio Vasari a little more than completely, very strongly, since it was he who was entrusted by Cosimo I to rebuild the medieval palace for his needs. This restructuring, as in the case of Perseus Cellini, pursued the goal of glorifying the ducal power and destroying reminders of the period of the republic. So, under the leadership of Vasari, the decor of the "Salon of Five Hundred" was redone - the most significant hall measuring 52 by 23 meters, which was built in 1494 after the expulsion of the Medici and during the restoration of republican institutions, and was intended for meetings of the Grand People's Council, which consisted of five hundred members. The huge and solemn hall under Cosimo I served for the meetings of his court, receptions and court. In the middle of the 19th century, when Florence was the capital of the Italian kingdom, parliamentarians met here.
During the reconstruction of the wall paintings, Vasari destroyed the unfinished frescoes of Leonardo da Vinci "The Battle of Anghiari" ... (This is a copy of the fresco by Rubens from cardboard)
... and Michelangelo's "Battle of Cachin". The surviving cardboard (blank) of the fresco.
The walls and ceiling of the hall were painted with frescoes, glorifying the deeds of Cosimo I, in particular the victories of Florence over Pisa and Siena.
The ceiling of the hall, consisting of 39 panels, is dedicated to the glorious events of the patron's life, ...
… Including a central panel reflecting his triumph as Grand Duke of Florence and Tuscany.
The hall is also filled with sculptures. The niches contained monumental statues of the Medici popes, who played a key role in the government of Florence in the first half of the 16th century, by the court sculptor Cosimo I Baccio Bandinelli. Pope Leo H.
Pope Clement VII is depicted at the time of one of the most important events in the history of his pontificate - the coronation of Emperor Charles V, who had to destroy half of Italy, including Rome))
Along the walls of the hall are sculptures glorifying the exploits of Hercules by Vincenzo de'Rossi, this is a continuation of the theme started by another Hercules on the Piazza della Signoria. It seems that the theme of Hercules was the most popular during the reign of Cosimo I, from Hercules, defeating another evil spirits, in fact, there is nowhere to go))
There is also a sculpture by Michelangelo "The Spirit of Victory", created by the master in 1533-34. originally for the grandiose tomb of Pope Julius II, who had the nickname "Pope Warrior"
Adjacent to the hall is a richly decorated small room - the Studiolo (that is, the "small studio") of the son of Cosimo I, Francesco I, which served as his office, laboratory and even the cabinet of curiosities. It was created under the leadership of Vasari and is considered a masterpiece of mannerism.
The first floor is occupied by a whole gallery of rooms dedicated to the glorious ancestors of Cosimo I from the Medici family, in each of which their portraits and glorious deeds are immortalized. There are the rooms of Popes Leo X and Clement VII, Cosimo the Elder, Giovanni del Bande Nere and, of course, Lorenzo the Magnificent. This fresco by Vasari, in which Lorenzo receives ambassadors, is reproduced on the ceiling of the hall of the same name. You will notice that the image of Lorenzo here is identical to his famous portrait kept in the Uffizi.
The second floor, which housed the private chambers of the Duke and Duchess, opens with the Hall of Elements dedicated to the themes of ancient mythology. Here is such "Castration of Uranus by Kronos", also Vasari and Gherardi Christofano ...
... and the mannerist Birth of Venus
I was impressed by the terrace of Saturn on the top floor at the back of the palace - Lodgetta - with an amazing view of the city, which we partially compensated for not climbing on the Duomo. View towards Santa Croce ...
... and on the other side of the river.
The chapel in the chapel of the wife of Cosimo I, Eleanor of Toledo, is painted with frescoes by Agnolo Bronzino.
Two rooms-offices of the palace, which have preserved elements of the Renaissance decor - the Audience Hall and the Hall of Lilies. The Audience Hall has a splendid gold-plated ceiling featuring the coat of arms of Florence by Giuliano da Maiano, created under Lorenzo the Magnificent.
The hall itself was painted in the middle of the 16th century in the tradition of the Roman school of the followers of Raphael and looks pompous.
It feels like the Duomo dome is visible from almost everywhere in Florence. Against the background of the right sash of the window, one would like to seat some Renaissance beauty - and the portrait is ready.
But the most remarkable in this room is the wall painted by Domenico Ghirlandaio "The Apotheosis of Saint Zenobius", the first patron saint of Florence, with the saints and heroes of ancient Rome.
The original of Donatello's "Judith and Holofernes" is also placed there, a copy of which now adorns the Piazza della Signoria.
From the Lily Hall you can get into another "business" room - the World Maps Hall. There is a 1581 globe, which at the time of its creation was the largest in the world.
On the walls are 53 maps made by the Dominican monk Ignatio Danti, giving an idea of the geographical knowledge of the second half of the 16th century.
I cannot say that the palace shook. Of course, everything is very beautiful and epic, but apparently a certain overflow of beauty has already accumulated and emotions arose only for masterpieces. I would advise looking at it with a fresh mind.
And in the meantime, we will take another look at the opposite bank of the Arno ...
And let's go there ...
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Palazzo Vecchio is an old palace, one of the most remarkable monuments in Florence. The tower of the palace is 94 meters high. observation deck Belvedere.
Palazzo Vecchio was built in 1299 in the image and likeness of the Gothic palace of the city council in Volterra (1208), and was originally named a new palace, since the government moved there from the former Bargello building. In the 15th century, the building began to be called Palazzo della Signoria, since the then rulers declared themselves signors.
In the 16th century, the palace was called Palazzo Ducale (duke's palace), and the Grand Duke of Tuscan Cosimo I Medici settled there. At the direction of the Duke, the architect Vasari significantly changed the interiors of the palace. When the duke moved to Palazzo Pitti, the building was called the old palace. Since then, the palace has been called that - old, becoming older and older from year to year ...
Since 1872, the palace has been the seat of the City Council of Florence. In addition, the Palazzo Vecchio houses museums.
The courtyard of the Palazzo Vecchio was created in the second half of the 15th century, columns with white and gold stucco molding support the ceiling with 16th century frescoes.
The palace is decorated with many sculptures, among them there is one by Michelangelo.
The halls of the palace are, without exception, magnificently decorated.
Absolutely luxurious ceilings with paintings and wood carvings do not repeat each other, but are made in the same style.
I was very surprised by the bright illumination in the palace. Usually in such places they are not even allowed to take pictures with a flash ...
In most cases, the furnishings of the palace have not survived; only individual interior items can be seen.
The main room of the palace is the Five Hundred Hall, which was intended for meetings of the General Council.
Vasari and his students, decorating the interior at the behest of the Medici, destroyed the previously existing masterpieces "Battle of Anghiari" by Leonardo da Vincia and "Battle of Cascina" by Michelangelo. In our time, works are being carried out that may reveal to our eyes a fresco by Leonardo, hidden by a later painting by De Rossi.
Vasari's works, depicting the exploits of Hercules, were intended to demonstrate the power and glory of the duke and his state.
Sometimes, quite by accident, they turn out unexpectedly nice pictures... From the lodge Palace Palazzo Vecchio shot through the window pane of the Florence rooftop.
And this is the same view through an open opening.
Photos with a view of the Basilica of Santa Croce conveyed well the feeling of freshness after the rain in the old city.
