Piazza della Signoria has been the political heart of Florence since the 14th century, an open-air museum of Renaissance sculpture framed by the towering Palazzo Vecchio.
The L-shaped square took its current form after 1268 and today holds the Loggia dei Lanzi’s outdoor sculpture collection — including Cellini’s bronze Perseus and Giambologna’s Rape of the Sabine Women — alongside the Fountain of Neptune and a replica of Michelangelo’s David marking the spot where the original once stood. It was here that Savonarola’s Bonfire of the Vanities took place, and later, in 1498, where he himself was burned at the stake.
The square is free to visit day or night; the surrounding cafés offer prime people-watching seats, especially at sunset.
