Picture of Palazzo Vecchio, Florence

-- Palazzo Vecchio, at Piazza della Signoria, the heart of Florence, Italy. Piazza della Signoria has been the center of the city since the Middle Ages. The palace, formerly Palazzo dei Priori and Palazzo della Signoria, was the seat of the Republican government of Florence. When the government moved to the Pitti Palace, this buidling began to be called "Old Palace", or Palazzo Vecchio in Italian. Built during the 13th century, it was doubled in the 16th century, during the reign of the Medici ruler Duke Cosimo I, who lived there. When Florence was the capital of Italy in the 19th century, the Chamber of Deputies met at Palazzo Vecchio. Among other statues, a copy of Michelangelo s David is found in front of it. Its bell tower is the tallest in Florence, at 94m.