Florence By Area >> City Centre East

Pedestrian Area. The piazza is a unique outdoor sculpture gallery and, with the Palazzo Vecchio, has been at the heart of Florentine politics since the 14th century. Citizens gathered here when called to a parlamento (a public meeting) by the Palazzo's great bell. The statues, some copies, commemorate major events in the city's history. Many are linked to the rise and fall of the Florentine Republic, during which the religious leader Girolamo Savonarola was burned at the stake here. Key Features:

Neptune Fountain by Ammannati
Ammannati's Mannerist fountain (1575) of the Roman sea god surrounded by water nymphs commemorates Tuscan naval victories.

The Rape of the Sabine Women by Giambologna
(1583) The writhing figures in Giambologna's famous statue were carved from a single block of flawed marble.

Perseus by Cellini
Cellini's bronze statue (1554) of Perseus holding Medusa's head was meant to warn Cosimo I's enemies of their probable fate. The original of the base it rests on is in the Bargello.

Grand Duke Cosimo I
Giambologna's equestrian statue (1595) celebrates the man who subjugated all Tuscany under his military rule.