The Florentine Palazzo Vecchio and the Paduan Palazzo della Raggione are situated at the very heart of the respective cities. Their architectural composition and decoration reflect the way the citizens of both communes wished to be represented.
The Palazzo Vecchio
While The Palazzo Pubblico in Siena was a structure of functional multiplicity, The Palazzo Vecchio in Florence did not contain judicial or military quarters. It is equally grandiose due to its scale, the 91 metres soaring tower on the right side of the western facade, and its positioning in a spacious Piazza della Signoria opening on two sides.
Like the Sienese town hall, The Palazzo Vecchio has a character of a fortress which links the building with traditional communal palaces, but it fulfills actual functions of a fortress. Its overall appearance conveys greater formal simplicity. Its thick walls, double-height gallery - ballatoio - crowned by crenellations with working machicolations are clear elements of military architecture. These are softened by several palatial features, such as the entirely rusticated facade, and by the rhythm of two rows of biforate windows with pointed arches.
The Palatial Features of The Palazzo Vecchio
The groin-vaulted Sala dell'Arme on the northern side of the ground floor is supported by compound piers. The above Sala del Consiglio is topped by another spacious hall. The southern part is formed by a large courtyard. The upper parts housed the offices and private apartments of the priors, probably fronted by wooden balconies hanging above the space of cortile. The courtyard, elegant windows, vaulting and galleries are the internal elements that follow architectural language of magnatial palaces.
The overall plan of The Palazzo Vecchio is less complex than that of The Palazzo Pubblicco. Unlike The Palazzo Pubblico, where all parts of the scheme were incorporated into one complex, in The Palazzo Vecchio not only the town hall and the seat of the Podesta are two separate structures, but the palazzo is also complemented by the external loggia and ringhiera. While the Sienese loggia had a recreational function, the Loggia dei Lanzi, adjacent to the corner of the main body's western facade served purposes directly associated with official and ceremonial activities of Florence. The ringhiera lined the walls of the western and northern facades, and along with the loggia, was the key space for ceremonial civic events.
The Palazzo della Raggione as the Central Market Place
The Paduan Palazzo della Raggione represents the most open and accessible civic centre, in which all key functions of the city's community life are closely integrated.This complex of premises incorporates the essential functions of the city, which are uniquely interwoven within its plan. It included governmental and judicial offices as well as prison.
Its location at the heart of commercial life of the city implies that the palazzo is an area where common daily activities took place. It is surrounded by the market place and stands between the two main market squares, Piazza della Frutta and Piazzan dell'Erbe. Its striking appearance is created by rhythmical rows of large arcades on the ground floor level and the main floor level. This is characteristic of commercial premises and, indeed, The Palazzo della Raggione itself acts as a public trading space by including stalls, shops and workshops. Its open plan has a shape of an irregular pallalelogram whose longer sides are lined with external stairways leading to the large central hall supported by pillars.
Sources:
- Diana Norman: Siena, Florence and Padua: Art, Society and Religion 1280-1400, Yale University Press, 1995
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