Palazzo dei Priori, Palazzo della Signoria, Palazzo del Comune, Palazzo Ducale or Palazzo Vecchio? All these names indicate Florence's seat of government. Today, Palazzo Vecchio houses the mayor's office, after having been the seat of the Florentine Republic first, then of the Grand Duchy of Tuscany and of the Kingdom of Italy.
Palazzo Vecchio is also a wonderful museum extremely rich in history. Very important decisions were taken here, as well as heartfelt speeches and political overthrows. Cosimo the Elder was imprisoned in the palace before it became the symbol of Cosimo I de Medici’s greatness.
Full of artworks, the building hides secret passages and places that show the greatness of the Florentine Republic. The private tour includes the two main floors of the palace and ends in the Hall of Geographical Maps, where it is possible to admire the maps of all the nations known in the Middle Ages.