Palazzo Vecchio, the "Old Palace", was Florence's original town hall. It was built in 1322. We didn't tour it, but strolled around the Piazza della Signoria
, and looked at the statuary in the Loggia next door. (see post below)The statue of David, at the left of the entrance, is a copy. The original stood here until 1873.
The frieze over the doorway (1332) is inscribed with the words "Christ is King", implying that no mortal ruler has absolute power
.The sign in the third pic is that of a cafe across the street from the Palazzo Pitti. Building of this palace began in 1547 for Luca Pitti, a banker. It was bought by the Medici's
in 1550, after Pitti's heirs were bankrupted by the building costs. Today, it houses a museum containing many treasures from the Medici collections. The cafe sign was so charming, I couldn't resist a pic of it. Due to late afternoon shadows, I had to lighten the photo, and it seems to have diluted the colors.Here is a better shot of the carousel in the Piazza della Republica.
Scroll down for a companion post, please.
