What’s inside Palazzo Vecchio?

is flanked by lifesize statues of David by Michelangelo, and Hercules and Cacus by Bandinelli.

Wander along the stunning loggia, a covered gallery with gilded arches that overlooks this open-air courtyard redesigned by Michelozzo in 1453.

crowned by a replica of Verrocchio’s Putto with Dolphin. 

commemorate the marriage of Francesco I de’ Medici and Joanna of Austria. 

known as the Courtyard of the Customs, was added in 1494. It originally functioned as the city’s customs office. 

leads you up to the next levels of Palazzo Vecchio. If you experience mobility issues, take the lift from the Cortile della Dogana instead.

dating back to the 1st century BC city of Florentia. Palazzo Vecchio's construction in the 14th century occurred directly over some parts of it. 

The highlight of the first floor is the palace’s largest room. At 54m x 23m, the Salone dei Cinquecento was meant to seat a Grand Council. Originally built in 1494 by Simone del Pollaiolo, it was expanded by Giorgio Vasari in the 1560s under Cosimo I de’ Medici. The coffered ceiling features 39 panels depicting Cosimo’s rule. 

including The Battle of Marciano and The Defeat of the Pisans at the Tower of San Vincenzo, that glorify Medici military victories. Among its sculptures are Michelangelo’s Genius of Victory, originally designed for Pope Julius II’s tomb, and Bandinelli’s bust of Pope Leo X.

Adjacent to the hall is this an intimate, windowless room designed by Vasari (1570–1575). It contains secret cabinets behind painted panels illustrating alchemy, mythology, and the natural world.

Lying between the first and second floors, this area houses the Loeser Collection, featuring Renaissance paintings, furniture, and decor donated by art critic Charles Loeser. These rooms retain original 14th and 15th-century ceilings and offer insight into the period's domestic interiors. 

Named for its fleur-de-lis decorations, the room features frescoes by Domenico Ghirlandaio, including a depiction of Saint Zenobius. It also houses Donatello's powerful bronze statue Judith and Holofernes.

These private quarters contain rooms dedicated to legendary historical women like Esther, Penelope, Gualdrada, and the Sabines. Her intimate Green Room (Sala Verde) is decorated with intricate naturalistic murals, and connects to her chapel featuring frescoes by Bronzino, including Crossing of the Red Sea.

The private quarters of Cosimo I, include richly decorated rooms with frescoes by Vasari. Admire the ceiling fresco of Saturn Mutilating Uranus, and wall frescoes of Birth of Venus and the Forge of Vulcan. Discover oil paintings like Jupiter Fed by Nymphs and ebony cabinets with semi-precious inlays.

Don’t miss this charming little chamber that once overlooked a columned loggia.

Contains 53 painted maps by Ignazio Danti and Stefano Bonsignori (1564–1586), displaying 16th-century global geography. At its center is the Mappa Mundi, a large wooden rotating globe.

The Old Chancellery houses an intriguing artifact - believed to be Dante Alighieri's death mask. It offers a tangible link to his legacy and the city's political history. This haunting artifact connects you to the revered and exiled poet's influence on literature and Florence's culture.