Palazzo Vecchio, Florence


	Palazzo Vecchio Constructed between 1298 and 1314, the Palazzo Vecchio was once a Medici residence and is now Florence's city hall. The exterior, with its slender tower jutting above an overhanging, battlemented gallery, is a monument to the secular life of medieval and Renaissance Florence. In contrast to the austere façade, the interior of the palazzo contains lavishly decorated rooms. The largest and most important is the Salone dei Cinquecento (the Hall of the Five Hundred, the council hall for the city's 500-member government). Michelangelo's statue of Victory dominates the room. Ornate painted doors by Vasari open into what was once Francesco de' Medici's study. Address: Piazza della Signoria Florence Italy Telephone: +39 (55) 276-8465