Raksha Rao - The Roving Heart
Raksha Rao

I am a passionate traveler, photographer and an engineer by profession. I have always loved new travel experiences. However, it reached a whole new level when I took off for a Himalayan trek in May 2015 - it made me realise how totally gratifying travel can be. Since then, I have traveled near and far, as much as I can,  always looking for new and immersive adventures.

Be it trekking on snow in the mighty Himalayan range, bungee jumping with a river view in Rishikesh, cliff jumping or scuba diving in the emerald blue waters of Thailand, high-altitude river rafting at the freezing cold rivers of Zanskar in Leh - my propensity for new experiences is ever growing as is my wishlist.

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Italy, Reviews, Travel Stories

Palazzo Vecchio: Exploring the Political Heart of Florence

posted by Raksha Rao
Last updated on Jun 18, 2019, 3483 2
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Palazzo Vecchio: Exploring the Political Heart of Florence

THIS POST MAY CONTAIN AFFILIATE LINKS. AS AN AMAZON ASSOCIATE I EARN FROM QUALIFYING PURCHASES. PLEASE READ THE DISCLOSURE FOR MORE INFORMATION


I had heard of Duomo, Uffizi Gallery, and Accademia before reaching Florence. But, little did I know the about the political heart of ancient and modern Florence – Palazzo Vecchio.

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Table of Contents

  • Palazzo Vecchio at Florence, Italy with Context Travel
  • Hall of the Five Hundred
  • Studiolo of Francesco I
  • Map Room

Palazzo Vecchio at Florence, Italy with Context Travel

Palazzo Vecchio is the town hall of Florence. It overlooks the Piazza Della Signoria with its copy of Michaelangelo’s David statue.

Palazzo Vecchio Florence

As a traveler exploring a new location, there are so many stories that skip my untrained eye.

Unwilling to blindly pass through the treasure trove of Florence, I was looking out for tours which would provide more than just a brief overview of the city. And, to learn the history and culture from the local experts with a small group of travelers.

I stumbled onto Context Travel which hosts a variety of tours all around the world, catering to the intellectually curious travelers.

Suggested Read: Underground Rome tour with Context Travel

For someone who always likes to scour for information, Context travel fit the bill perfectly. Mostly because the docents were scholars and experts in their respective fields ranging from art scholars, archaeologists, historians, and so on. It also focuses on a more responsible and sustainable travel.

Thanks to my local docent Siro of Context Travel Tours, I uncovered many stories of Palazzo Vecchio which left me intrigued. Siro belongs to an important Tuscan family of art nouveau artists, so I knew I was in good hands.

My Palazzo Vecchio Florence tour with Context travel was quite eventful and lasted for about 3 hours.

Palazzo Vecchio Florence

The tour began in front of the palace, in Piazza Della Signoria, with Siro giving a brief introduction to the palace and taking us back to an era of the Florentine Republic. I learned about the powerful Medici family (former bankers) of Florence, their rise to power and lasting influence over the city.

Did you know? The popular Assassin’s Creed action-adventure video game is based on the city of Florence.

Hall of the Five Hundred

Palazzo Vecchio florence

We then entered the Hall of Five Hundred – a massive hall with gold decor ceilings, hand paintings and frescos.

“This hall is the celebration of victories (against Pisa and Sienna) in the history of Florence and celebration of Florence in general.”, Siro explained.

If you have watched the Dan Brown movie – Inferno, then this might look familiar. The protagonists of the movie – Robert Langdon and Sienna Brooks manage to escape from the Boboli gardens. They pass through the Vasari Corridor and reach the political heart of ancient and modern Florence: the imposing Palazzo Vecchio. It is on the roof of hall of five hundred that the shooter chasing the professor falls off to her death.

Note – The Vasari Corridor is closed for maintenance now, and will be open in 2019.

Studiolo of Francesco I

At the end of the Hall of Five Hundred, there is a small side room without windows which is a small secret study designed by Vasari for Francesco.

Francesca, the Grand Duke of Tuscany was considered more of an alchemist than a Duke. His passion for alchemy resulted in the creation of Studiolo of Francesco I – with each wall or roof depicting one of these elements – Air, Water, Earth, Fire.

Alchemy is the medieval precursor of Chemistry, involved with the conversion of base metals into gold.

Palazzo Vecchio Florence

Climbing on to the second floor, we passed through Apartments of the Elements, Priori, and Eleonora of Toledo.

Map Room

I found another interesting room called as Sala del Mappamondo or easily known as the Map Room.

The Map Room hosts impressive hall of geographical maps that provide an insight into the geographical regions of the 16th century in the form of murals of cartography.

The maps are divided into sections of the then known four continents – Asia, Africa, Europe, and Americas.

The Map Room shows the region of Bohemia, Egypt, China, Japan, India, Mexico, California, and so on. The cabinet behind the maps served as a wardrobe for Medicci possessions collected from around the world.

Out of the 57 murals painted directly on the cabinet door, 53 of them remain today.

Palazzo Vecchio Florence

I uncovered many more mysteries at this political heart of Florence – Palazzo Vecchio, thanks to Context Travel.

It was a perfect way for me to warm up to the history and culture of Florence. Context Travel, for all intents and purposes, is more than just a tour operator. It was more of a walking seminar than a walking tour.

Book your Palazzo Vecchio tour with Context Travel now.

There are many tours in Florence that Context Travel offers as well.

Disclaimer – I was invited on a tour of  Palazzo Vecchio in Florence with Context Travel. However, as always, all opinions mentioned here are entirely my own.

Palazzo Vecchio Florence

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Hola! I’m Raksha Rao, the founder and Chief Editor of The Roving Heart and I heartily welcome you to this blog!

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Comments

2 Comments
  1. posted by
    Lynne Nieman
    Apr 14, 2018 Reply

    I just met someone here in Dublin, Ireland that took a Context tour in Dublin and spoke very highly about it. Having been to Florence I’d say that a tour like this would be a wonderful way to get to know that incredible city better.

    • posted by
      Raksha Rao
      Apr 15, 2018 Reply

      I liked their concept and it’s definitely value for money. For more places where there is so much history and culture which can easily miss the untrained eye, Context tour makes total sense!

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