Florence Hotel Marzia. Monuments. Piazza della Signoria
Piazza della Signoria in Florence, dating back to 1268, is a square full of history and beauty and cannot help but being visited by those who come to Florence, solely because of its prime location not to mention the numerous monuments and statues that it holds.One interesting historical event that took place in this piazza in 1497 is the "bonfire of the vanities" when Girolamo Savonarola, a Dominican friar and preacher, burned books, paintings, fine clothing and art, and many other objects of vanity, in the middle of the piazza in the name of Christianity.
Ironically, Savonarola was hung and burned in the exact same place one year later on false charges of heresy. The spot is marked in the piazza even today.
Monumental buildings that line the square are the dominating Palazzo Vecchio. This piece of Gothic architecture dates back to 1300 and was once the political nucleus of Florence and still today houses some government offices with a good part of it having become a museum for public visits.
In front of the Palazzo Vecchio in Piazza della Signoria, you can gaze and admire the statue of Hercules and Cacus by Bandinelli, the bronze equestrian statue of Cosimo I by Giambologna, the Fountain of Neptune by Bartolomeo Ammannati and an exquisite replica of the famous David by Michelangelo.
Also in the square find the Loggia della Signoria, the Uffizi Gallery, the Palace of the Tribunale, the Uguccioni Palace, and the Palace of Assicurazione Generale.
