The Piazza della Repubblica was created at the end of the nineteenth century as part of an ambitious project to redevelop the historic center of Florence. Its most impressive sight, the Arcone, a triumphal arch, was designed by Vincenzo Micheli. The inscription that dominates the arch reads as follows: L'ANTICO CENTRO DELLA CITTÀ DA SECOLARE SQUALLORE A VITA NUOVA RESTITUITO (The ancient centre of the city / restored from age-old squalor / to new life)
The Palazzo Vecchio ("Old Palace") is the town hall of Florence, Italy. This massive, Romanesque, crenellated fortress-palace is among the most impressive town halls of Tuscany. Overlooking the Piazza della Signoria with its copy of Michelangelo's David statue as well as the gallery of statues in the adjacent Loggia dei Lanzi, it is one of the most significant public places in Italy.
David is a masterpiece of Renaissance sculpture created between 1501 and 1504, by the Italian artist Michelangelo. Standing 17 feet in height, the statue represents the Biblical hero David, a favored subject in the art of Florence. Originally commissioned as one of a series of statues of prophets to be positioned along the roofline of the east end of the Cathedral of Florence, the statue was placed instead in a public square, outside the Palazzo della Signoria, the seat of civic government in Florence, where it was unveiled on September 8, 1504. Because of the nature of the hero it represented, the statue soon came to symbolize the defense of civil liberties embodied in the Republic of Florence, an independent city-state threatened on all sides by more powerful rival states and by the political power of the Medici family. The eyes of David, with a warning glare, were turned towards Rome. The statue was moved to the Galleria dell'Accademia, Florence, in 1873, and later replaced at the original location by a replica as seen in this photo.
