The Power and History of Florence

Finally, we're talking about the Old Palace (Palazzo Vecchio) (rubs hands excitedly). The Old Palace is undoubtedly one of the most important buildings in Florence. It has served as the town hall of the Florentine Republic since its construction and continues to be used for this purpose today.😍😍😍 The highlight of the Old Palace has to be the Hall of the Five Hundred (Salone dei Cinquecento). Once the largest hall in Italy, its walls are covered with frescoes by Vasari, and it is rumored that behind these frescoes lies Leonardo da Vinci's "lost masterpiece."🗽🗽🗽 Legend has it that da Vinci attempted to paint directly on the walls with oil paints in the Hall of the Five Hundred, but later, Vasari ingeniously concealed and protected it behind his own work during the hall's renovation.🤓🤓🤓 In Dan Brown's novel "Inferno," an important clue is also hidden within the frescoes of the Hall of the Five Hundred. Unfortunately, despite spending over half an hour examining the frescoes, I couldn't find any trace of it.😀😀😀 However, aside from this, the Old Palace, due to its strong political nature, might seem a bit dull to visitors who are not familiar with Florentine history. So, similar to the Doge's Palace in Venice, I highly recommend joining a Guided Tour if you plan to visit the Old Palace. There used to be several types of official Guided Tours. I participated in a basic one, which provided an overview of the specific functions of the various rooms, their history, and some interesting anecdotes. It also included a brief exploration of some hidden passages within the rooms. The Medici family built numerous secret passages in the Old Palace to evade enemies or store valuables. The one I took was hidden behind a fresco in a small study next to the Hall of the Five Hundred. There are other passages, such as one behind a map of Armenia in the Map Room, which leads to the duchess's dressing room. I saw another tour group's guide open a hidden door, but unfortunately, my route didn't include this part, and I was tempted to follow them... In addition to these more common tours, there were also special themed tours, such as ones focusing on Dante and those related to Dan Brown's "Inferno." P.S. It seems that now the official website only offers the most basic Guided Tour. I'm not sure if I just couldn't find the others... Travel Tips: 🌟 Opening Hours: Monday to Sunday from 09:00 AM to 05:00 PM, with Thursdays closing at 02:00 PM. Plan accordingly. 🌟 Ticket price is 17.5 euros, and the Guided Tour (including the ticket) is 22.5 euros. The official Guided Tour options are limited now, with only the English session at 3:00 PM on Mondays. If interested, check other platforms to see if they offer similar tours. #ItalyTravel #HistoricalArchitecture #WorldTravel #Florence #FlorenceTravel #ItalyTravelTips #TravelTips #FlorenceTravel #FlorenceTravelGuide #TravelPhotography