23/09/2026
Upon entering Palazzo Vecchio through the doorway facing Piazza della Signoria—on the side near the Loggia dei Lanzi—you find yourself directly in the Michelozzo Courtyard, designed by the architect in 1453.
Stucco work, paintings, grotesque motifs, coats of arms, and statues combine to create a spectacular setting that leaves visitors awestruck.
The rich Mannerist decoration was executed based on designs by Giorgio Vasari a few years later, in 1565, to mark the wedding of Francesco I de' Medici and Joanna of Austria.
At the center of the courtyard, there was originally a well; this was replaced by a porphyry fountain designed by Giorgio Vasari, topped by the bronze statue "Putto with Dolphin", created by Andrea del Verrocchio in 1470.
A curious detail: at the time, the dolphin was still a little-known animal—few had ever seen one in the flesh—so artists tended to depict it based on their own imagination. This explains why Verrocchio’s work portrays it simply as a large fish with a disproportionately big head and a slender tail.
📸 Silvio Palladino
