Museums: Palazzo Vecchio--Secret Passages

Art, intrigue, secret passages.  The Palazzo Vecchio has it all. 

The Palazzo Vecchio

We recently tagged along on a tour of the Palazzo Vecchio (the old palace of Florence).  We joined a group of students from Gonzaga University's study abroad program here in Florence.  (Susan is a Gonzaga alumna.  Go Zags!  Not to worry.  When Gonzaga played against the UNC Tarheels for the 2017 NCAA men's basketball championship, Susan rooted for the Tarheels.)

The tour started on a street next to the Palazzo Vecchio.  Long ago, in the 1300's, the street was a very narrow alley.  In 1342, a short-term ruler of Florence decided he wanted a secret entrance/exit to the palace.  So, he had a small door installed in the alleyway, with a narrow staircase leading to the upper floors.  People -- the ruler himself, spies and special visitors -- could enter and leave without being seen.  The ruler was not popular and he was deposed after 10 months, barely escaping with his life.  Perhaps he used the hidden staircase and small door to leave the palace one last time on his way out of Florence.    

We went through the small door and entered a small room.   

In the small room is a copy of a 12th century robe with shoes that would have been worn by the priors of Florence.  A prior is a member of the council that governed Florence when it was a republic.  Dante, for example, was a prior and would have worn the robe.  He is usually depicted in paintings and sculptures wearing the red robe. 

From the small room, we entered another small door and ascended a medieval staircase.

Below is a view looking down the staircase.  The passage is known as the Stairway of the Duke of Athens, the unpopular ruler who had to leave Florence in a hurry. 

After ascending the Stairway of the Duke of Athens, we entered a large room that was once the bed chamber of the Medici Duke and later Grand Duke, Cosimo I of Tuscany.  In the bed chamber was an illustration (pictured below) that shows the secret passages, plus secret rooms built for the Medicis in the 1500's. 

From the bed chamber, there is access to a small, beautifully decorated secret room where Cosimo I could retreat for solitude, while keeping an eye on his minions from two windows.  There is also access to a medium-sized secret study built for Cosimo's son Franceso I.  In the ornately decorated study, Francesco could conduct experiments in alchemy, his favorite pastime.   

Cosimo I's secret room is known as the Tesoretto, or little treasure.  It is beautifully decorated as seen in the next two photos.  Behind the paintings on the walls were hidden compartments for storing precious objects and important papers and also two hidden doorways for entering and leaving the room.  From the room, Cosimo could watch people working across the street in the Uffizi, Florence's government offices, and he could also see the Palazzo Vecchio's inner courtyard to watch who was coming and going. 

Francesco I's secret room is known as the Studiolo, or study, and also had compartments and doorways hidden behind paintings lining the walls.  In the hidden compartments were all the tools and materials that an alchemist might need for conducting experiments.   

The ornate ceiling of the Studiolo was actually a secret guide to where Francesco could locate his alchemist's tools in the hidden compartments along the walls below.

A painting on the wall of the Studiolo.  Behind it was a hidden compartment or doorway.

One of the hidden compartments behind a painting

One of the hidden doorways behind a painting

We also toured the very large and not at all secret Salone dei Cinquecento (Hall of the Five Hundred).   On the day we visited, preparations were being made to host a dinner honoring Britain's Prince Charles.  While visiting the hall, our expert guide told us about the ceiling.  It was once much lower than it is today.  In order to make the hall more grand to host the 156______ wedding of one of Cosimo I's daughters, the ceiling was raised several meters and also decorated with many original paintings. 

From the hall, we ascended several staircases, including a hidden staircase, to the top of the hall.  We found ourselves in the attic above the hall and we could see the large trusses supporting the hall's ornate ceiling and all the paintings.  If you saw the 2016 Tom Hanks film Inferno, then you might remember that one of the chase scenes took place among the trusses supporting the ceiling, with fatal consequences. 

Our expert guide explaining the truss system, with a small model in the background.

A happy tour group, with guide and random hottie

We enjoyed the secret passages tour and recommend it as an add-on to a tour of the entire Palazzo Vecchio.

P.S.  Go Heels!