View of the Palazzo Vecchio

The Palazzo Vecchio (or Palazzo della Signoria, formerly Palazzo dei Priori) dates from 1298 to 1340. It was the Town Hall in Florence, and its design is attributed to Arnolfo di Cambio despite the absence of any corroborating documentation.

The building presents a strongly fortified appearance from the street and has a bell tower, for the ringing of the tocsin was an official means of giving warning or causing the citizens to gather. The design is kept simple; a certain amount of rustication, with windows made up of two lights set in a pointed arch and separated by a colonette. The ground floor windows are small. The design of the building is that of a rectangle enclosing a central court, roughly square in plan, which serves as a means of obtaining light and air, and which also has a well.