Tom and I split up this morning. I decide to try the Palazzo Vecchio, which my wife, Pam, and I missed in December. He heads for the Bargello Museum to satisfy his lust for statuary.

The Palazzo Vecchio is unimpressive from the outside, but very impressive on the inside. In my opinion, its contents are more interesting from an historical point of view rather than from an artistic one.

As I wander around, I realize that even the wealthy Medici's lived in circumstances that today's average American middle class family would totally reject. Even the Medicis eventually moved to the more posh Palazzo Pitti.

Palazzo Vecchio, or as it is sometimes called, Palazzo della Signoria, was cobbled together starting in the 13th century and ending in the 16th. The final stage was sponsored by Duke Cosimo I de' Medici, who moved into the palace with all his family. It has served as both living quarters and government offices since then, including as the seat of United Italy’s provisional Government from 1865 until 1871, when the national government moved to Rome. Today, the palace contains the city council offices, which do not seem to inhibit the stream of visitors. One of the most impressive rooms, the Hall of the Two Hundred, is being used for the meetings of the city council. Fortunately, they weren’t meeting when I visited.

There are literally hundreds of frescoes scattered throughout the building. Some of the more impressive "frescoed" rooms are the Salone dei Cinquecento (Hall of the Two Hundred), the Study of Francesco I, the apartments of Leo X, Cosimo I’s wife, Eleonora’s apartments, and the Rooms of the Elements. The Palazzo also contains some sculptural masterpieces from the Renaissance, including the "Genius of Victory" by Michelangelo and the bronze "Judith and Holofernes" by Donatello. Tom isn’t the only one who gets to see some outstanding statues.

In retrospect, I wish I had purchased a guide book at the gift shop, as I got somewhat confused as to what I was looking at and how it fit in historically. I underestimated how interesting and worthwhile visiting the palace was going to be.

Entry costs about 7€. It has odd opening hours, which is why Pam and I missed it in December. I made sure it would be open this morning before I came here. I do believe that it is open, for sure, every Saturday and Sunday from 9am to 7pm.

Palazzo Vecchio (the Old Palace) open Mon – Wed, Fri: 9am–7pm; Thursday, Sun 9am–2pm; entrance: €6. Bear in mind that in addition to casual visit Palazzo Vecchio offers several interesting tours. The Activities Tour ticket includes the Secret Routes and Invitation to the Court tours. First allows you to visit stairwells tucked in the walls behind beautiful paintings, an area between the ceiling and the roof of the Salon, and the private chambers of Duke Cosimo I. Invitation to the Court , conducted by a guide playing Eleonora di Toledo, includes re-enactment of Medici Court life. The Encounter with Giorgio Vasari tours through the Monumental Apartments (I believe it will cost you €2 extra per tour). Back to the palace though. The building was designed by Arnoldo di Cambio and built in 1299 – 1304. The clock was added in 1667 and still ticks (I wish I had a watch that good). Palazzo Vecchio served as the home of the Signoria, the Florence government until 1540, when Cosimo I, Duke of Florence – moved in from the Palazzo Medici. But his wife Eleonora did not like Palazzo Vecchio, therefore 9 years later the Medici moved again – to the Palazzo Pitti (I love the palace) and Palazzo Vecchio got its name – the old palace. The Palazzo today contains the offices of the City Council, but much of it can be visited. The entrance, which is alongside the copy of Michelangelo's David (original in the Accademia), leads into a internal courtyard with the stone lions and a copy of Verocchio’s Putto Fountain (15th century). The Hall of the Five Hundred is awesome, you must see it. My favorite room in the palace is the Sala delle Carte, decorated with 57 maps painted in 1563 by Fra' Ignazio Danti.