Next we visited the political center of Florence, the Palazzo Vecchio. Florence was nominally a republic run by the merchants and bankers, although it was in an almost perpetual state of civil war among the rich families, as well as war with its neighbors. As the Medici clan rose to dominance, the Palazzo Vecchio became their home away from home, which accounts for some of the excess in the interior decor. The outside, of course, looks like a fort, since whoever managed to grab power needed to bunker down fast to hold on to it. The building still serves as Florence's city hall. The cavernous Hall of the 500 is where the representatives of the leading families met to duke it out. The building also houses a famous statue by Michelangelo, and yes, his hand is where you think it is.

Outside on the main piazza is a replic of the David statue in its original position, and the piazza is surrounded by several other important government buildings and museums. This piazza hosted the Bonfire of the Vanities discussed in the previous entry, as well as the Bonfire of the Priest a couple years later.