In search of hidden riddles, cleverly concealed clues, and secret passages… Palazzo Vecchio is a labyrinth full of mysteries. Will we be able to figure it all out?
Even for the youngest children, they will be the first to follow the traces scattered throughout the palace!
In the Hall of the Five Hundreds
The Grand Council Hall is an immense room, where wonder and amazement greet visitors as soon as they take their first steps among statues and paintings.
The great Leonardo da Vinci began here to paint a battle of knights, intent on securing the enemies’ banner, but the experimental work turned out to be a failure, and the brushstrokes of mixed pigments and wax were later covered by the Medici court painter, Giorgio Vasari. ‘Seek and you shall find’ is written on a banner in the Battle of Marciano…
What could it mean? Among warriors and infantry, arquebuses and cannons, the dwarf with the lantern appears. He will illuminate our path through the secrets of the palace!
Earthly Heroes, Celestial Heroes
Painted ceilings reveal the stories of the lords of Florence: among mounted princes and visiting ambassadors, the Magnificent will tell his tale, and if you are attentive, you will discover a mysterious animal, never seen before, with a spotted cloak and an exceedingly long neck…
The celestial heroes await us upstairs. Venus on the shell, Saturn and the gifts of the earth, Vulcan in his forge. Even a turtle seems to play a role in the story; follow its tracks and you will discover why!
From the loggia, one overlooks the Hall of the Five Hundred: a breathtaking view from above, it feels like you can touch the gilded-framed paintings on the ceiling. The young Duke Cosimo, crowned by the Senate of Florence, introduces us to the private apartments.
Maps and Globes
The entire known world on the counters of the Medici wardrobe is reflected in the large globe at the center of the room. But are all the lands of the globe truly represented?
And what wonderful jewels, dishes, and furnishings, paintings, and scarlet silks did those pieces of furniture once contain? However, not all counters are cabinet doors; perhaps there could be another secret passageway!