In the lunettes, high around the courtyard, are crests of the church and city guilds. Palazzo Vecchio is the symbol of the city of Florence, together with Santa Maria del Fiore and Michelangelo’s David, and has always been the seat of the city government. The tower currently has three bells; the oldest was cast in the 13th century. Construction on the solid fortress began in 1299 above the ruins of the destroyed Uberti Ghibelline towers, testimony of the final victory of the Guelph faction. Guardaroba best translates to a type of storage space, or ‘wardrobe’ and its purpose was to house a collection; an early wunderkammer of sorts. The rooms are located in the old palace, and were renovated in the mid-15th century by Michelozzo. Has a fabulous view of Florence. [1] Arnolfo di Cambio, the architect of the Duomo and the Santa Croce church, began construction upon the ruins of Palazzo dei Fanti and Palazzo dell'Esecutore di Giustizia, once owned by the Uberti family. The second courtyard, also called "The Customs", contains the massive pillars built in 1494 by Cronaca to sustain the great A staircase designed by Vasari leads to the second floor. The Turkish occupation ends in 1897, when the island falls into a short Egyptian occupation (1830-1840). In the middle, flanked by two gilded lions, is the Monogram of Christ, surrounded by a glory, above the text (in Latin): "Rex Regum et Dominus Dominantium" (translation: "King of Kings and Lord of Lords". The ceiling painting of Gualdrado is by the Flemish painter Stradanus, better known under his Italian name Stradanus. In the lunette above is a bas-relief of the Madonna and Child. It is the only part of the palace where the original 14th- and 15th-century ceilings are still entirely visible. The floor was made in 1556. In 1908, Crete profited from the international political developments and demanded its unification with Greece. The tower is decentralized because the project took advantage of a pre-existing tower. The idea behind the guardaroba is similar to that of late medieval studioli, which were small private study spaces, containing precious collected artifacts. courtyard the massive and monumental stairs by Vasari lead up to the Palazzo Vecchio, also called Palazzo della Signoria, most important historic government building in Florence, having been the seat of the Signoria of the Florentine Republic in the 14th century and then the government centre of the Medici grand dukes of Tuscany. The Hall of Geographical Maps or Wardrob was the place where the Medici guarded their most valuable goods, and today retains wonderful geographical maps and a famous globe. Heroon Politechniou & Melissinou, Rethymno
Most paintings are by the School of Vasari and represent the four elements: fire, water, earth, and air. ΤIn 1897, the Great Powers decided to occupy the island. Also the tapestries show stories of Hercules.