he
site on which Piazza della Signoria was built was occupied in the
period of the Roman Florentia by a large theatre. In the Middle
Ages, modest houses and alleyways sprang up there. The land was
the property of the powerful Ghibelline family of the Uberti, and
when the Guelphs took power, they razed the Ghibelline properties
to the ground and established that nothing should be built on it
again; this is the reason why Palazzo Vecchio, which faces onto
the piazza, is irregularly-shaped and both the main entrance and
the tower are somewhat eccentric.
Work on the piazza, which was designed and supervised by Arnolfo
di Cambio, started in 1299 and since then has witnessed all the
major changes in the history of the city. Like Palazzo Vecchio,
its name has changed a number of times: initially called "Piazza
dei Priori" or "Piazza dei Signori", it was renamed
"Piazza del Granduca" during the government of Cosimo
I, and maintained this name till 1859 when the Grand Duchy finally
collapsed. Since the unification of Italy, it has had its current
name of Piazza della Signoria.
Besides the name, the perimeter and the paving of the piazza have
also changed several times. When Palazzo Vecchio was enlarged, a
number of houses were destroyed or moved back in order to maintain
the size of the piazza. At the beginning there was simply a dirt
surface, then it was paved in red brick and finished with pietra
serena. This lasted until the nineteenth century when it was resurfaced
entirely in pietra serena. This nineteenth century surface was largely
replaced with new pietra serena paving a few years ago, which sparked
off a polemical dispute between the Florentines and the bodies responsible
for the work, not only because of the appearance of the 'patch job'
but also because the old stones mysteriously 'disappeared'
The piazza was embellished in 1563 with the Neptune Fountain by
Ammannati (known by Florentines as the "Fontana del Biancone")
and in1590 the Equestrian Monument to Cosimo I de' Medici by Giambologna
was positioned to the right of Palazzo Vecchio.
In 1420, on the extreme right of the main facade of Palazzo Vecchio,
The Marzocco by Donatello (now a copy) was displayed as a symbol
of the strength and liberty of the comune, while the famous David
of Michelangelo (now also a copy) was positioned to the side of
the main doorway to symbolise the victory of democracy over tyranny.
Bandinelli's Hector and Cacus, dated 1534, was placed near the David
to recall the victory of the Medici over their internal enemies.
Close to the centre of the piazza there is a circular plaque with
an inscription which indicates the point where Savonarola was burnt
at the stake.
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