Opened as a national museum (Museo Nazionale del Bargello) in 1865, its original structure, built alongside the Volognana Tower in 1256, had two storeys. After the fire of 1323, a third story, identified by the smaller blocks used to construct it, was added. During the 15th century, the palace was also subjected to a series of alterations and additions but still preserving its harmonious and pleasant severity.

Bargello Museum

Here are some interesting historical trivia regarding this building:

• Started in 1255, this austere crenelated building is the oldest public building in Florence.
• The word “bargello” appears to have been derived from the late Latin word bargillus (from Goth bargi and German burg), meaning “castle” or “fortified tower.” During the Italian Middle Ages, it was the name given to a military captain in charge of keeping peace and justice (hence “Captain of justice”) during riots and uproars. In Florence he was usually hired from a foreign city to prevent any appearance of favoritism on the part of the Captain. The position could be compared with that of a current Chief of police. The name Bargello was extended to the building which was the office of the captain.
• It is also known as the Palazzo del Bargello, Museo Nazionale del Bargello or Palazzo del Popolo (Palace of the People)
• This building served as model for the construction of the Palazzo Vecchio. Honolulu Hale‘s interior courtyard, staircase and open ceiling were also modeled after the Bargello.
• It was built to first house the Capitano del Popolo (“Captain of the People”) and, later, in 1261, the “podestà,” the highest magistrate of the Florence City Council (it was originally called the Palazzo del Podestà). In 1574, the Medici dispensed with the function of the podestà and housed the bargello, the police chief of Florence.
• Before it was turned into an art museum, it was a former barracks and prison during the whole 18th century. Executions, the most famous perhaps being that of Bernardo di Bandino Baroncelli (involved in the Pazzi conspiracy against the Medici, which Leonardo da Vinci also witnessed), also took place in the Bargello’s yard until they were abolished by Grand Duke Peter Leopold in 1786, but it remained the headquarters of the Florentine police until 1859. When Leopold II, the Holy Roman Emperor, was exiled, the makeshift Governor of Tuscany decided that the Bargello should no longer be a jail, and it then became a national museum. It was also the meeting place of the Council of the Hundred in which Dante Alighieri took part.
• It displays the largest Italian collection, mainly from the grand ducal collections, of “minor” Gothic decorative arts and Renaissance sculptures (14–17th century).

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The unique courtyard

The building is designed around a beautiful, irregular and unique open courtyard with an open well in the center. The walls of the courtyard are covered with dozens of coats-of-arms of the various podestà and giudici di ruota (judges).

The centrally located open well

The enormous entrance hall leading to the courtyard has heraldic decorations on the walls with the coats-of-arms of the podestà (13th-14th centuries). The courtyard has more coats-of-arms of the podestà.  Under the porticoes are insignia of the quarters and districts of the city. Set against its walls are various 16th century statues by Baccio Bandinelli, Bartolomeo Ammannati, Domenico  Pieratti, Niccolò di Pietro Lamberti, Giambologna and Vincenzo Danti.

The external open staircase leading to the loggia

The external open staircase leading to the second floor loggia, built in the 14^th century, has various ornamental works by other 16^th century artists including the delightful bronze animals made for the garden of the Medici Villa di Castello.

The author in front of the statue of Oceano (Giambologna)

Juno Fountain originally for the Sala Grande in Palazzo Vecchio (Bartolomeo Ammannati)

Alpheus and Arethusa, a 16th century relief

Apollo Pitio (Vincenzo Danti)

Statue of St. John the Baptist (circa 1620, Domenico Pieratti)

Statue of St. Luke the Evangelist  (Niccolò di Pietro Lamberti)

The first room to the right, formerly the Salone del Consiglio Generale but now the Donatello Room, contains many works of Donatello (1386-1466). The St. George Tabernacle (1416), moved to this location from the niche in Orsanmichele, is the very first example of the stiacciato technique, a very low bas-relief that provides the viewer with an illusion of depth, and one of the first examples of central-point perspective in sculpture.

The Marzocco, one of the symbols of Florence (Donatello)

Other works include the young St. John; the marble David (1408); the more mature and ambiguous bronze David (1430), the first delicate nude of the Renaissance; and the Marzocco, originally installed on the battlements of Palazzo Vecchio.

Madonna and Child between Angels (1475, Luca della Robbia)

At the back wall of the Donatello Room are two bronze bas-relief panels, both competing designs for “The Sacrifice of Isaac” (Sacrificio di Isacco, the image had to include the father and son, as well as an altar, a donkey, a hill, two servants and a tree) made and entered by Lorenzo Ghiberti and Filippo Brunelleschi to win the contest for the second set of north doors of the Florence Baptistery (1401) in Piazza del Duomo. The judges chose Ghiberti for the commission.

Madonna and Child with St. John (Giovanni della Robbia)

Two rooms on the second floor are dedicated to the repertoire of glazed Renaissance terracotta sculptures created by Andrea Della Robbia, Luca Della Robbia (c. 1400 – 1482) and Giovanni Della Robbia.   The glazed terracotta by Luca della Robbia includes a very extraordinary group of Madonna with Child.

Drunkeness of Noah (Baccio Bandinelli)

Diana and Actaeon (c. 1578, Francesco Mosca)

The large 14th century hall, on the first floor, displays a collection of 14^th century sculpture, including works by Nicola Pisano.  The rooms on the ground floor exhibit Tuscan 16th century works. The room closest to the staircase focuses, in particular, on four important masterpieces by Michelangelo (1475-1564): Bacchus (1470, the tipsy god of wine is being held up by a tree trunk and a little satyr), Pitti Tondo (relief representing a Madonna with Child), Brutus (1530) and David-Apollo.

Bacchus (Michelangelo)

The assortment is then followed by works of Andrea Sansovino (1460-1529), Jacopo Sansovino‘s Bacchus  (1486-1570, made on his own to compete against Michelangelo’s), Baccio Bandinelli (1488- 1560), Bartolomeo Ammannati (1511-1592), Benvenuto Cellini (represented with his bronze bust of Cosimo I and the model of Perseus and the small bronze sculptures, moved to this location from the Loggia dell’Orcagna), down to Giambologna (1529-1608) with his Architecture and the admirable Mercury; and Vincenzo Gemito‘s Il Pescatore (“fisherboy”).

Architecture (Giambologna)

Il Pescatore (Vincenzo Gemito)

Adam and Eve (Baccio Bandinelli)

Marble statue of Leda with the Swan (Bartolomeo Ammannati)

Mercury (Giambologna)

There are a few works from the Baroque period, notably Gianlorenzo Bernini‘s 1636-7 Bust of Costanza Bonarelli. The staircases now display bronze animals that were originally placed in the grotto of the Medici villa of Castello. There are also sculptures by Michelozzo di Bartolomeo and others.

Limoges porcelain

Also distributed among the several rooms of the palace, both on the first and second floor, are many other fine works of art enriched by the Carrand, Ressman and Franchetti collections comprising decorative or “minor” arts.  They include ivories that include several Roman and Byzantine examples; Medieval glazes and Limoges porcelain from German and French gold works; Renaissance jewels; Islamic examples of damascened bronze; and Venetian glass; all  from the Medici collections and those of private donors.

Bronze statue of David (1466, Andrea del Verrocchio)

The bronze David and the Lady with Posy by Andrea del Verrocchio are in the room named after the artist.

Bust of Cardinal Paolo Emilio Zacchia (1625, Alessandro Allgardi)

Also on display are an extraordinary collection of busts of Florentine personalities made by some of the most important 15th century artists such as Desiderio da Settignano (c. 1430-1464) and Antonio Rossellino (c. 1427-1479), both pupils of Donnatello; Alessanro Algardi, Mino da Fiesole,  Antonio Pollaiolo and others.

Display cases of arms and armor from the Middle Ages to the 17th century

The museum also displays very unique panel pieces and wooden sculptures; ceramics (maiolica); waxes;  goldwork and enamels from the Middle Ages to the 16th century; furniture; textiles; tapestries in the Sala della Torre; silver; arms and armor from the Middle Ages to the 17th century; small bronze statues, old coins and a very lavish collection of medals by Pisanello belonging to the Medici family.

Medals belonging to the Medici family

Bargello Museum: Via del Proconsolo 4, Florence, Italy. Open Tuesdays to Fridays, 8.15 AM – 1.50 PM, closed on the 2nd and 4th Sunday and the 1st, 3rd and 5th Monday of each month. Admission: €4.00.

Hall of the Five Hundred

Located on the first floor of the building, adjacent to the oldest section built by Arnolfo di Cambio, the Hall of the Five Hundred (Salone dei Cinquecento) is part of the wing of the palace built in 1494 by Simone del Pollaiolo and Francesco Domenico.

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The author

It was commissioned by Fra Girolamo Savonarola (the spiritual leader of the Republic, who replaced the Medici) to build chamber as the seat of the 500-member Grand Council (Consiglio Maggiore), modeled after the Grand Council of Venice. According to the austerity pursued by Savonarola, the room was also very basic and almost devoid of decoration.

For a short period (1494 and 1498), Savonarola had ousted the Medici from power and had founded a new Florentine Republic, establishing a more democratic government for the city of Florence by creating the Council of Five Hundred (or Great Council). In this way, the decision-making power belonged to a greater number of citizens, making it more difficult for a single person to take control of the city. In 1498, Savonarola was arrested, hanged and burned at the stake in the Piazza della Signoria as a “heretic, schismatic, and for preaching new things.”

Paintings and sculptures on west side

Here are some interesting trivia regarding the impressive Hall of the Five Hundred:

• In terms of artistic and historic value in Palazzo Vecchio, it is the largest and most important room.
• At 54 m. long, 23 m. wide and 18 m. high, the hall is the largest room in Italy made for a civil power palace.
• It plays a key role in Dan Brown’s 2013 thriller Inferno

Paintings and sculptures on the east side

In 1540, after the Medici returned to power, they chose Palazzo Vecchio as a residence, radically transforming it. Piero Soderini, who was appointed Gonfaloniere for life, decided to decorate the Salone dei Cinquecento.

Maximilian of Austria Attempts the Conquest of Leghorn (Giorgio Vasari and Giovanni Battista Naldini) – depicts the moment that Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian comes to the aid of the Pisans, but, alas, the Emperor’s attack on the Florentines failed, in part due to a terrible storm that shipwrecked the imperial fleet, forcing the imperial forces to withdraw.

The Conquest of Porto Ercole (Giorgio Vasari) – depicts the capture of Porto Ercole, Siena’s last holdout. Those who had been loyal to Siena fled to Porto Ercole after Siena had fallen on April 21, 1555. However, after a 24-day siege, the final bastion of Sienese independence fell.

So that Grand Duke Cosimo I de Medici could hold his court in this chamber, received ambassadors and give audience to the people, the grandeur of the hall had to be accentuated and the decorations had to exalt and glorify the Medici family hall. Giorgio Vasari enlarged the hall by raising the ceiling seven meters,

Defeat of the Pisans at the Torre di San Vicenzo in 1505

The ingeniously built trusses were a double set at different levels with a truss supporting the weight of the roof and another one supporting the beautifully decorated coffered ceiling underneath which covered the truss structure.  Aside from Vasari, other artists who participated in the decoration were Giovanni Stradano, Tommaso di Battista del Verrocchio, Ridolfo del Ghirlandaio, and many others.

The Storming of the Fortress of Stampace (Giorgio Vasari, Giovanni Battista Naldini, and Jacopo Zucchi)

The ceiling, consisting of 39 panels, was constructed and painted by a team of painters coordinated by Giorgio Vasari.  The iconographic subject, treated by Vincenzo Borghini, was originally sketched with an allegory of Florence occupying the center but Duke Cosimo actually wanted a glorious depiction of himself.

The Taking of Siena – depicts the capture of the fort near the Porta Camollia. The January 26, 1554 attack on Siena, by the ducal army, was led by Giangiacomo Medici (Marquis of Marignano)e). Here, they surprised the guards while they slept. The Florentines marked this event as the beginning of the war.

It now represents Great Episodes from the life of Cosimo I with some allegories of the districts of Florence and Tuscany in an act of submission to the Duke, episodes of the War of Pisa (1496–1509) and the War of Siena (1553–1555), as well as portraits of some of Giorgio Vasari’s collaborators. Towards the center is the apotheosis Scene of His Glorification as Grand Duke of Florence and Tuscany.

The Victory of Cosimo I at the Battle of Marciano in Val di Chiana – depicts the August 2, 1554 battle in Val di Chiana, which was decisive for the Florentines’ victory the next spring. Here, Florentine exiles, who had fled the Medici rule and sided with Siena, Frenchmen, and Grisons attacked the Florentine army, but the Florentines routed the Sienese troops.

Giorgio Vasari, along with his assistants, painted large and expansive frescoes depicting six scenes of battles and military victories that represent the military successes of Cosimo I and Florence over Pisa and Siena.  On the east side, you can find The Taking of Siena, The Conquest of Porto Ercole, and The Victory of Cosimo I at the Battle of Marciano in Val di Chiana.

Statue of Hercules and Cacus (Vincenzo de’ Rossi)

On the west side are The Defeat of the Pisans at the Tower of San Vincenzo, Maximilian of Austria Attempts the Conquest of Leghorn and Pisa Attacked by the Florentine Troops. The decorative complex would be completed by a series of sixteenth-century tapestries, which are hung only on special occasions.

Statue of Hercules and Diomedes (Vincenzo de Rossi)

However, during this transformation, two famous (but unfinished) large murals, celebrating the victories of the Republic, by the greatest Florentine artists of the time were lost – the Battle of Anghiari (a battle scene celebrating a famous Florentine victory, commissioned to Leonardo da Vinci in 1503), on one long wall, and the  Battle of Cascina (by Michelangelo) on the opposite wall.

For a certain period of time, though none of their work was ever completed, the two geniuses of the Renaissance would have an opportunity to work face-to-face. Leonardo hopelessly wasting the work by experimenting with an encaustic technique, which proved disastrous. On the other hand, Michelangelo stopped work when he left for Rome after being called by Pope Julius II. Both original works are lost, but copies and preparatory drawings still remain.

Statue of Hercules and Hippolyta (Vincenzo de’ Rossi)

The La Tribuna dell’Udienza (consultation gallery), the raised stage designed to accommodate the throne of the Duke, is illuminated by enormous windows on the north side of the hall.

La Tribuna dell’Udienza (consultation gallery)

It was built by Giuliano di Baccio d’Agnolo and Bartolommeo Bandinelli for Cosimo I to receive citizens and ambassadors.

Statue of Hercules and the Centaur Nessus (Vincenzo De Rossi)

Above it are frescoes depicting historical events. Among these are that of Boniface VIII receiving the ambassadors of foreign states and, seeing that all were Florentines, saying “You Florentines are the quintessence.”

Statue of Hercules with the Erymanthean Boar (Vincenzo De Rossi)

The architecture, inspired by a Roman triumphal arch to enhance the power of the sovereign, hosts a number of niches containing statues of members of the Medici family, sculpted by Bartolommeo Bandinelli, in the niches.

Statue of Pope Leo X in the act of blessing Cosimo de Medici

The two largest arches contain the statues of the two Medici popes – the statue of the Seated Leo X (Bandinelli was assisted here by his student Vincenzo de’Rossi) in the center and, on the right, a statue of Charles V, King of Spain, Crowned by Clement VII. Six statues, along the walls, represent the Labors of Hercules by Vincenzo de’ Rossi.

Statue of The Labours of Hercules

At the south of the hall, in the central niche, is The Genius of Victory (1533–1534), Michelangelo’s famous marble group that was originally intended for the tomb of Julius II. Placed in this hall by Giorgio Vasari, the statue was removed to the Bargello Museum in 1868 but, in 1921, was returned to the hall. The statues of other members of the Medici family (Cosimo I, Giovanni dalle Bande Nere, Alessandro, and Francesco I) are contained in the other four niches while, in the boxes above, are depicted the main enterprises conducted by them.

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The Genius of Victory (Michaelangelo)

Access to the Studiolo of Francesco I is along the side of the entrance wall. The Studiolo of Francesco I (a studiolo is a small study), a small side room, without windows, situated at the end of the hall, was also designed by Giorgio Vasari (1570–1575) in a Mannerist style. Paintings, stucco and sculptures fill the walls and the barrel vault and Baroque paintings hide secret cupboards.

Coffer ceiling

Most paintings, representing the four elements (water, fire, earth and air), are by the School of Vasari. The portrait of Cosimo I and his wife Eleonora of Toledo was made by Bronzino while the delicate bronze sculptures were made by Bartolomeo Ammanati and  Giambologna. The latter, dismantled within decades of its construction, were re-assembled in the 20th century.

Palazzo Vecchio: Piazza della Signoria, Florence, Italy. Tel: +39 055 276 8325. Open daily, 9 AM – 7 PM (except Thursdays, 9 AM  – 2 PM). Admission: €6.00. Combined ticket with Cappella Brancacci: €8.00.

Loggia dei Lanzi

The Loggia dei Lanzi (also called the Loggia della Signoria or Loggia dei Priori), an open-air sculpture gallery on a corner of the Piazza della Signoria, adjoining the Uffizi Gallery, is sometimes erroneously referred to as Loggia dell’ Orcagna because it was once thought to be designed by that artist.  Open to the street, it consists of wide arches (which seem to have influenced Filippo Brunelleschi when he planned the famous loggia of the Ospedale degli Innocenti, the first Renaissance building) resting on clustered pilasters with Corinthian capitals.  Appealing so much to the Florentines, Michelangelo proposed that the wide arches be continued all around the Piazza della Signoria.

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The Loggia during daytime

It was built, between 1376 and 1382, by Benci di Cione and Simone di Francesco Talenti (also well known from his contributions to the churches Orsanmichele and San Carlo), possibly following a design by Jacopo di Sione, to house the assemblies of the people and hold public ceremonies (such as the swearing into office of the Gonfaloniere and the Priors).

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Nighttime view of the Loggia

After the construction of the Uffizi, at the rear of the Loggia, the Loggia’s roof was modified into a roof garden by Bernardo Buontalenti, turning it into an elegant terrace (now the Uffizi Café Terrace) from which the Medici princes could watch ceremonies in the piazza. The Loggia became an expression of the Medici family power since the sixteenth century, at the time of the Grand Duchy of Tuscany. In fact, the sculptures, were chosen, not just according to aesthetic criteria, but also to affirm and represent specific political meaning.

The array of statues inside the Loggia

The vivacious Loggia, effectively an open-air sculpture gallery of antique and Renaissance art, stands in stark contrast with the severe architecture of the Palazzo Vecchio. Its name dates back to the reign of Grand Duke Cosimo I, when it was used to house his formidable landsknechts (German mercenary pikemen). In Italian landsknechts is translated as lanzichenecchi, which was corrupted to Lanzi.

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Trefoils, on the façade of the Loggia, below the parapet, have allegorical figures of the four cardinal virtues (Fortitude, Temperance, Justice and Prudence) by Agnolo Gaddi. Their blue enameled background is the work of Leonardo (a monk), the golden stars were painted by Lorenzo di Bicci while the vault, composed of semicircles, was done by the Florentine Antonio de’ Pucci.

The Medici Lions

On the steps of the Loggia are two Marzoccos, marble statues of lions (called the Medici lions as they originally in the Villa Medici in Rome) which are heraldic symbols of Florence.  That on the right is from Roman times while the one on the left was sculpted by Flaminio Vacca in 1598. Originally placed in the Villa Medici in Rome, they were transferred to the Loggia in 1789.

Statue of a Sabine Woman

On the Loggia’s right wall there’s a Latin inscription, from 1750, commemorating the change of the Florentine calendar (the Florentine calendar used to begin on March 25 instead of January 1 but, since 1749, it started following the standards of the Roman calendar).  A 1893 inscription records the Florentines who distinguished themselves during the annexation of Milan  (1865), Venice  (1866) and Rome (1871) to the kingdom of Italy.

Perseus with the Head of Medusa (Benvenuto Cellini)

Underneath the bay, on the far left, is the bronze statue (also known as Cellini’s Persus) of Perseus by Benvenuto Cellini who worked almost ten years on this bronze (1545-1554). Considered a masterpiece of Italian Mannerism, it shows the mythical Greek hero Perseus, with his well-proportioned muscular body, standing poised on the right leg while brandishing his sword in his right hand and triumphantly holding up the severed head of the dead Medusa (the second face on the back of his head, with a curly beard and a long thin nose is, in fact, a self- portrait of Cellini himself), blood gushing from the head and the neck, in his left. The reflecting Perseus seems to be frightened by his action.

The richly decorated marble pedestal, showing four graceful bronze statuettes, an example of Cellini’s unparalleled talent when working on smaller pieces (due to the fact that he was also an expert goldsmith), of Jupiter, Mercurius, Minerva and Danaë, was also done by Cellini. The bas-relief on the pedestal, representing Perseus freeing Andromeda, is a copy of the original in the Bargello Museum.

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The Rape of the Sabine Women

On the far right is the impressive Manneristic group Rape of the Sabine Women (the first group representing more than a single figure in European sculptural history to be conceived without a dominant viewpoint), made from one imperfect block of white marble (the largest block ever transported to Florence by), was installed in the Loggia in 1583 at the behest of Francesco I de’ Medici, the son of Cosimo I.

This over 4 m. high, marble and bronze group was done by the Flemish artist Jean de Boulogne (better known by his Italianized name Giambologna), who wanted to create a composition with the figura serpentina (an upward snakelike spiral movement to be examined or equally admired from all sides). The goccia (chalk copy) model is now in the Gallerie dell‘Accademia. The marble pedestal, representing bronze bas-reliefs with the same theme, was also done by Giambologna. In recent years, the statue has gone through a series of renovation sessions to protect it from deterioration due to pollution.

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Rape of Polyxena (Pio Fedi)

The Rape of Polyxena is a fine diagonal sculpture group done in the Romantic style by Pio Fedi from 1865.

Hercules beating the Centaur Nesso (Giambologna)

Nearby is Hercules Beating the Centaur Nesso, Giambologna’s less celebrated marble sculpture, sculpted in 1599 from one solid block of white marble, with the help of Pietro Francavilla, and commissioned to Giambologna by Grand Duke Ferdinand I around 1594.  It was placed here in 1841 from the crossroads in Canto de’ Carnesecchi.

Menelaus bearing the corpse of Patroclus. Flavian Era (1st century CE)

The ancient marble group Menelaus supporting the body of Patroclus, discovered in Rome and brought to Florence by Cosimo I,  is a Roman sculpture from the Flavian era, copied from a Hellenistic Pergamene original of the mid third century BC.  Originally standing at the southern end of the Ponte Vecchio, another version of this much-restored Roman marble is in the Palazzo Pitti. It has undergone many unskillful restorations in 1640 (by Ludovico Salvetti, to a model by Pietro Tacca) and about 1830 (by Stefano Ricci).

Statue of Matidia

On the back of the Loggia are five marble female statues of Sabines  (three are identified as Matidia, Marciana and Agrippina Minor) and a statue of a barbarian prisoner Thusnelda from Roman times from the era of Trajan to Hadrian. Discovered in Trajan’s Foro in Rome in 1541, the statues had, since 1584, been in the Villa Medici in Rome and were brought here in 1789 by Pietro Leopoldo. They all have had significant, modern restorations.

Statue of Ulpia Marciana (110-120 CE)

The Feldherrnhalle in Munich, commissioned by King Ludwig I of Bavaria to honor the tradition of his military, was modeled after the Loggia.

Statue of a Sabine Woman

Loggia dei Lanzi: Piazza della Signoria, 50122 Florence, Italy. Tel: +39 055 23885. Admission: free.

The Tribuna (Tribune)

The essential highlight of our Grand Tour of the Uffizi Gallery is the Tribuna (Tribune), an octagonal room where the most important antiquities and High Renaissance and Bolognese paintings from the Medici collection were displayed in the 18th century and are still are displayed here. Many years before the Uffizi building was officially transformed into a Gallery, the Tribuna was, in a sense, already a “museum.”

To keep the most precious artworks of the Medici collection as well as his jewels and embellishments, Grand Duke Francesco I de’ Medici (son of Cosimo I de’ Medici) asked his friend and collaborator, the architect Bernardo Buontalenti to design the Tribuna which was realized between 1581 and 1583, making it the most ancient room of the Uffizi Gallery.  At that time, the ground floor was still occupied by the Florentine magistrates.  In 1737, the Grand Duchess Anna Maria Luisa de’ Medici ceded the collection to the Tuscan government and, by the 1770s, the Uffizi (and in particular the Tribuna) was the hub for Grand Tourists visiting Florence.

The most important room at the first floor and the first nucleus of the Uffizi Gallery, it is probably the only room that, from the 16th century, has been rearranged more frequently, with artwork relocated to other museums or replaced so that the paintings and sculptures had more space.  Changes were made in 1970 and, in 2012, the restoration of the room was finished.

In 1772, Queen Charlotte of the United Kingdom commissioned Johann Zoffany‘s famous painting of the Tribuna.  It portrayed the northeast section but varies the arrangement and brings in works not normally displayed in the room, such as Raphael’s Madonna della Sedia. Connoisseurs, diplomats and visitors to Florence, all identifiable, are seen admiring the works of art.

Arrotino

The Tribuna displayed, according to the concept of a museum in that period, not just works of art (such as sculptures and paintings) but also extraordinary natural items such as precious stones, coins, etc., making it a cabinet of curios containing a condensate of knowledge. The structure was octagonal because, according to Christian tradition, eight is the number which draws near Heaven. In ancient times, octagonal plans were recurrent in the construction of important buildings as well as of baptisteries and basilicas, making the Tribuna a kind of profane temple dedicated to art.

The Dancing Faun

The incredible dome, which symbolizes the Vault of Heaven, has an external lantern with a weather vane (its movements internally reproduced on a painted wind rose) which also works as a sundial. During both equinoxes and solstices, the Sun passing through a hole displays the celestial mechanics also to “those who are inexperienced with planets and the motion of heavenly bodies.”

The Two Wrestlers

The iconography of the Tribune’s decorations and furniture was conceived by Francesco I (who dabbled in alchemy) as a full cosmos featuring the four elements:

• Earth – represented by the floor, Architect Buontalenti realized it as a wide flower inlaid with polychrome marbles (alabaster from Northern Africa, green porphyry from Turkey, red porphyry from Egypt). Jacopo Ligozzi painted also plants and animals at the base of the walls, along the room’s perimeter.
• Water – represented on the dome encrusted by 5,780 precious mother-of-pearls coming from the Indian Ocean and masterly set on a background painted with a scarlet varnish achieved, as it was usual in ancient times, by using millions of red cochineals. The shells on the vault refer to the emblem of Bianca Cappello, the woman that the Grand Duke loved for a long time, and that he married in the same period in which the Tribuna was built. The 130 sq. m. of ceiling was then covered, under the varnish, with layers of gold. The frescoed plinth is now lost.
• Fire – represented by the precious red velvet on the high walls provided with gold fringes.
• Air – symbolized by the towering lantern open to winds.

The Octagonal Table in the center

At the center of the room is an octagonal table, set with semiprecious stones by Jacopo Ligozzi. The room itself, apart from the paintings, furniture and statues, can be considered a work of art.  Among the series of ancient sculptures, which arrived from the Villa Medici in Rome in the 17th century, is the delicate, Ist century A.D. Venere Medici (Medici Venus).

The Medici Venus

No one can enter the Tribuna as the marble mosaic of the pavement cannot sustain the weight of so many visitors. The most important paintings are now in another room that aspires to reproduce the set-up of the octagonal room.  The paintings on the walls can be admired at a distance.  Still, admiring the Tribuna is, no doubt, a breathtaking experience. The high walls, which terminate with a double drum and a lantern, as well as the windows, ensure that the Tribuna has a natural enlightenment similar to modern museums. The prevalent colors are the same as those in the emblem of the Medici.

Ceiling and wall detail

In the last few years, this room was at the core of the Digital Museum project with a multimedia installation letting visitors observe a 3D version of the sculptures in the Tribune, so they can admire their details and the marvelous project of this room. 

Floor pattern detail

Tribuna: First Floor, Uffizi Gallery: Piazzale degli Uffizi (adjacent to the Piazza della Signoria), Florence, Italy. Open Tuesdays to Sundays, 8:15 AM to 6:50 PM. Closed on Mondays, December 25 and January 1.  Website: www.uffizi.it. Regular admission: €20.  Reduced Price Ticket: €2 for European Union citizens only, aged +18 | -26 upon showing passport or ID, and citizens of non-EU Countries only upon mutual agreement (Norway, Iceland, Switzerland, Liechtenstein).  The ticket office closes at 5.30 PM and closing operations start at 6.20 PM.

Free admission for children under 18 years of any nationality (show passport or ID card, children younger than 12 must be accompanied by adults); persons with disabilities (if handicap is certified under Law 104/92, D.M. 507/97 and D.M. 13/2019); scholars; university students and teachers; student groups and teachers; tour guides and interpreters; journalists (enrolled in the Italian Association of Journalists); employees of the Italian Ministry of Cultural Heritage and Activities and Tourism; and members of the International Council of Museums (ICOM).

Taking photographs and videos is permitted provided they are taken without flash, lights and tripods, for personal, non-profit use only. The museum’s busiest times are weekends, Tuesdays and mornings. Doubtless, the best part of the day to visit the museum is in the afternoon; better after 4 PM once large groups have left the museum.  Long lines are inevitable so, despite the slightly higher cost of entrance (extra booking fees), it is better to buy your Uffizi tickets ahead of time to skip the long line and spend more time in the museum.

How to Get There: bus service from Santa Maria Novella Station, bus 23.