Hotels near Palazzo Vecchio Tower and Secret Passages

Palazzo Vecchio's Arnolfo Tower rises 94 metres above Piazza della Signoria and provides the only elevated viewpoint from within the historic centre north of the Arno. The climb of 233 steps through narrow medieval staircases passes former prison cells where Cosimo de' Medici and the friar Girolamo Savonarola were each held at different points in Florence's turbulent political history. From the top, the view places you at eye level with the Duomo dome and directly above the piazza's sculpture-filled Loggia dei Lanzi.

Inside the palace, the Salone dei Cinquecento is a 54-by-23-metre hall with soaring painted ceilings by Vasari depicting Florentine military victories. The museum ticket (EUR 12.50) grants access to the Medici apartments, the Map Room with 53 painted geographical panels, and Verrocchio's bronze putto fountain in the second courtyard. The tower climb costs an additional EUR 12.50 and operates on a timed-entry basis with limited capacity.

Pro Tip: The Secret Passages tour (Percorsi Segreti) takes you behind Vasari's paintings, into the ceiling rafters, and through a hidden study decorated with Mannerist paintings by Bronzino. This tour runs only a few times daily, fills quickly, and costs just EUR 4 on top of museum entry - book it at the ticket desk first thing in the morning.