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Loggia dei Lanzi

Monuments & memorials ·Florence ·Open now
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About

Loggia dei Lanzi in Florence: an open-air sculpture gallery on Piazza della Signoria, beside the Uffizi, with Cellini's bronze Perseus.

More photos 11

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Loggia dei Lanzi — Angled view of the loggia’s arches and sculpture-lined platform Ricardalovesmonuments · CC BY-SA 4.0 · edited
Loggia dei Lanzi — Angled view of the loggia’s arches and sculpture-lined platformLoggia dei Lanzi — Sculptures beneath the loggia’s vaulted archesLoggia dei Lanzi — Front view of the loggia framed by nearby buildingsLoggia dei Lanzi — The loggia’s arched facade seen from the surrounding streetLoggia dei Lanzi — View toward the loggia’s arches from Via della NinnaLoggia dei Lanzi — Marble lion statue standing on a ball beneath the archesLoggia dei Lanzi — Close view of a carved lion beside the loggiaLoggia dei Lanzi — Stone pillar and sculptures beneath the loggia’s archesLoggia dei Lanzi — Decorative stone pillar with small sculpted figuresLoggia dei Lanzi — Sculpted pillar base beside the loggia’s stepsLoggia dei Lanzi — Iron chain attached to the loggia’s stone wall

Why go

  • Cellini's bronze Perseus holding Medusa's head, under the far-left bay
  • Giambologna's Rape of the Sabine Women, carved from one block of white marble, on the far right
  • The two marble Medici Lions at the top of the steps, one a Roman original
  • Menelaus carrying the body of Patroclus, a marble copy of an earlier original
  • The five marble women on the back, three named as Matidia, Marciana and Agrippina Minor

Opening hours

Today00:00 – 23:59Show all
Monday00:00 – 23:59
Tuesday00:00 – 23:59
Wednesday00:00 – 23:59
Thursday00:00 – 23:59
Friday00:00 – 23:59
Saturday00:00 – 23:59
Sunday00:00 – 23:59

About the work

Year
Worked on from 1545 to 1554; placed in the loggia in 1554
Material
Bronze
Size
3.20 metres tall

Interesting facts5

1/5

  1. Munich's Feldherrnhalle was patterned on this loggia.

    Loggia dei Lanzi - Wikipedia

  2. The Perseus's right foot has three toes that were attached once the bronze had cooled after casting.

    Loggia dei Lanzi - Wikipedia

  3. Michelangelo once proposed carrying the arches around the entire square.

    Loggia dei Lanzi - Wikipedia

  4. The monster's snakes stand for the feuding of the earlier republic, which the Medici ruler put down.

    The Loggia dei Lanzi | Uffizi Galleries

  5. Brunelleschi probably drew on its round arches when he designed the Spedale degli Innocenti.

    Loggia della Signoria - Wikipedia

Shorts

History

Its first name was Loggia dei Priori. For a long time it stood as a symbol of Florentine democracy. Its later name comes from German mercenary pikemen housed there under Cosimo I. Under the Medici, Bernardo Buontalenti turned the roof into a terrace in 1583, so the rulers could watch ceremonies in the square. Cellini's Perseus was placed under the arches in 1554.

  1. 1376–1382Benci di Cione and Simone di Francesco Talenti build the loggia to house public assemblies and ceremonies.
  2. 1541The statues later placed on the back of the loggia are discovered in Rome.
  3. 1545–1554Benvenuto Cellini works on the bronze Perseus for almost ten years.
  4. 1554The Perseus is placed in the loggia.
  5. 1583Bernardo Buontalenti builds a terrace on the roof for the Medici to watch ceremonies.
Show all
  1. 1583Giambologna's marble and bronze group of the Rape of the Sabine Women is placed in the loggia.
  2. 1789Pietro Leopoldo brings the statues from the back of the loggia here.
  3. 1841Giambologna's Hercules and the Centaur is placed here from the Canto de' Carnesecchi.

Legends and hidden details

  • Told as an anecdote: after a failed casting, Cellini fed the furnace with his own furniture and about 200 pewter dishes.
  • Some read the Perseus as a political message on the good governance of Cosimo I; its snakes stand for the infighting of the earlier republic.
  • The three toes on the statue's right foot were added after the bronze was cast and had cooled.
  • The third woman from the left on the back is Thusnelda, a barbarian prisoner and wife of Arminio.
  • The lions at the top of the steps are Medici symbols of Florence; the left one is a copy by Flaminio Vacca.

Best time to visit

  • The loggia is open every day of the week, around the clock, and the sculptures can be seen day and night.

Sources: Loggia dei Lanzi - Wikipedia · The Loggia dei Lanzi | Uffizi Galleries · Loggia dei Lanzi - Wikipedia · Loggia des Lanzi - Wikipedia · Loggia della Signoria - Wikipedia · Loggia dei Lanzi: description (its own site) · checked 27 Oct 2026

Where
Piazza della Signoria, Florence

Plan from here: A day out →

Questions and answers

Is it free to see the Loggia dei Lanzi?

Yes, it is free. The loggia is described as a free museum, and its sculptures can be seen freely day and night.

Where is the Loggia dei Lanzi in Florence?

It stands on the south corner of Piazza della Signoria, next to the Uffizi Gallery, in the centre of Florence.

Which statue should I look for at the Loggia dei Lanzi?

Look for Benvenuto Cellini's bronze Perseus holding Medusa's head, 3.20 metres tall, under the far-left bay of the arches.

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