About This Location
Palazzo Vecchio began in 1299 as the city’s town hall, built for Florence’s republican government. In 1540, Cosimo I de’ Medici turned it into the Medici residence, and the palace interiors were reshaped to project Medici power in a very direct way. The Studiolo of Francesco I is one of the most unusual rooms in the palace. It was created in the early 1570s for Francesco I de’ Medici, supervised by Giorgio Vasari, with the intellectual plan developed by Vincenzo Borghini. It was designed like a private “room of wonders” - a small space packed with paintings, sculptures, and hidden cupboards that once held rare objects and curiosities. Not far from it is the Sala degli Elementi, part of the Quartiere degli Elementi on the second floor. These rooms were developed during Cosimo I’s expansion of the palace, and they use myth and symbolism to link Medici rule with the forces that shape the world. In the Sala degli Elementi, the decoration revolves around the four elements - Earth, Water, Fire, and Air - shown through gods, stories, and rich fresco scenes. Standing here, it is easy to step back into the city outside. Just beyond the doors is Piazza della Signoria with the Loggia dei Lanzi nearby, and the streets around the palace quickly lead toward the Uffizi area and Florence’s busiest historic routes.