Palazzo Vecchio is Florence's forbidding, fortresslike city hall, which is presumed to have been designed by Arnolfo di Cambio in 1299. Its massive bulk and towering campanile dominate the Piazza della Signoria. It was built as a meeting place for the elected guildsmen who governed the city at the time; over the centuries it has served lesser purposes, but today it is once again City Hall.

While we were visiting Florence, the facade of Palazzo Vecchio was under repair. We were not able to see this unique building in all of its glory, because the scaffolding was covering most of the front. However, we did see where Michelangelo's David once stood. Now, a replica of this triumphant sculpture stands in that spot, while the original is so prominently displayed in the Academy of Fine Arts.

The venerable Uffizi Gallery occupies the top floor of the U-shape Palazzo degli Uffizi (Uffizi Palace). This palace was designed to hold the Uffizi (administrative offices) of the Medici grand duke Cosimo I (1519-74). Later, the Medici installed their art collections here, creating what was Europe's first modern museum, open to the public (at first only by request) since 1591.

The Uffizi Gallery features masterpieces from many famous artist's, such as Botticelli, Leonardo di Vinci, Michelangelo, Raffaello, Ruben, Rembrandt, and other Florentine and early Renaissance artists.

We were not allowed to take pictures inside the gallery, but I got plenty of of the outside palace and side gallery (Loggia dei Lanzi) featuring many original sculptures. The graceful 14th-century Loggia dei Lanzi (adjacent to the Palazzo), built as a stage for civic orators, is now one of the best places in Florence to see world-class sculpture free of charge.