Photo Walk in the Uffizi and Piazza della Signoria in Florence (June 8, 2013)

Florence is the birthplace of the Renaissance.  Many of the
city's wonderful pieces of art are housed in the Uffizi Gallery.

But it wasn't just artists.  Florence is the city of
Machiavelli, author of The Prince.

Sculptures of famous Florentines, like Galileo
(on the left), fill alcoves along the Uffizi.  Micheli (right)
was a priest and botanist.

 Amerigo Vespucci is on
the right and Guicciardini, a political writer, on the left.

Along with Michelangelo, Donatello is on of the
most famous sculptures of the period.

Giotto was a sculptor and architect from the late Middle Ages.
His bell tower stands beside the Duomo.

Lorenzo de'Medici (The Magnificant) was a ruler
of Florence and a patron of the arts.  The Medici's
left their art collections to the city.

Cosimo de'Medici was the founder of the Medici Dynasty that
ruled the Florentine Republic.

The Loggia dei Lanzi int he Piazza della Signoria contains
many original sculptures.

The Four Virtues decorate the top of the Loggia.
This one is Prudence.

The Medici Lions are on either side of the steps of the Loggia.

Sculptures in the Loggia include this bronze of Perseus with the head of Medusa.

The Uffizi was government offices before becoming an art gallery.
It begins beside the Loggia and the Palazzo Vecchio.

Also in the Loggia is The Rape of Polyxena by Pio Fedi.

Other statues in the Piazza della Signoria include the equestian
statue of Cosimo I, the first Grand Duke of Tuscany.

This is one of the relief panels in the base of the statue of Cosimo I.

The Fountain of Neptune was designed to symbolize Florence's
domination of the sea.

While it was commissioned to commemorate
the wedding of one of the Meidici's,
the people of Florence did not like it and
called it the White Giant.

These statues are replicas, the originals moved to protect
them from the elements.  The lion, Il Marzocco, by Donatello,
is a symbol of the Medici family and therefore Florence.  To the
right is Judith and Holofernes, also by Donatello, and also
a replica. Both originals are in different museums in Florence.

Hercules and Cacus, by Bandinelli, is to
the right of the entrance of the
right of the Palazzo Vecchio.

Hercules shares the entrance with a replica of Michelangelo's David.

David's youthfulness represents the vigor and
energy of the Florence Republic.

Michelangelo studied the human body extensively, even dissecting cadavers.

The original can be seen in the Academia Museum, but lines are very long for the visit.

The Palazzo Vecchio dominates the Piazza
della Signoria.  It is the town hall of Florence.
The elected leaders were not allowed to
leave the palace during their term.

Despite their many palaces, the Medici's kept the
Palazzo Vecchio as their government headquarters.

Translated as "The Old Palace," it was begun in 1299.

While most of the Palace is a museum, it still houses the City Council and the Mayor's office.