Piazza della Signoria is the political heart of the city, with its impressive Palazzo Vecchio (the Old Palace) and numerous exciting things to see and do. Palazzo Vecchio acts as a museum that you can visit today, but during the Medici time, it used to be the seat of the city’s government and later, the official residence of Cosimo I, the Duke of Tuscany. What’s interesting about the palace though, is how it has anyway conserved its original purpose - in fact, it still houses the mayor of Florence and various offices of the town hall! Whenever there are any important events or assemblies happening in Florence, they also usually take place in the palace. On the regular days though, Palazzo Vecchio remains one of the most famous museums in the city - and for a good reason.

Remember the Pazzi Conspiracy? Well, can you imagine that those guilty of plotting against the Medici and killing Giuliano ended up being hanged from the windows of the palace so that everyone could see them? I’m talking not only about Francesco Pazzi and the archbishop Salviati, but also about eighty (!) other members of the plot. We will not dwell on the repercussions of such an action on the relationship Lorenzo de’ Medici had with the then-pope (perfectly aware of the conspiracy, of course), but you can imagine the aftermath. However, the plotters were not the only people killed inside the walls of the palace and not even the first ones. The local legend says that it is still inhabited by the spirit of Baldaccio d’Anghiari, a powerful commander, praised by Machiavelli himself. Baldaccio was stabbed inside the palace by the then-gonfalonier of the city, Bartolomeo Orlandini, in 1441, as a result of a verbal fight that occurred between the two. His body was then thrown from one of the windows of the palace before being decapitated in the piazza. Some people say his spirit still haunts the palace, and in 2001, a couple of tourists even claimed to have captured his image on camera - and we will roll with this story, because who would even think of debunking a centuries-old ghost legend, right?

Last but not least, there’s a little-known spot in the piazza, marked by a headstone not far from Palazzo Vecchio: in 1498, Girolamo Savonarola, a Dominican friar, was hanged and then burned in that place. Without spoiling you too much, I’ll just say that this man had enough power to overthrow the Medici after Lorenzo’s death: but not for long, as you can imagine. A curious fact: while in Florence he was accused of heresy, in Ferrara, his hometown, he’s still considered a hero - there’s even a statue dedicated to him there!