Palazzo Vecchio

Halfway up the Tower of Arnolfo, which towers over Palazzo Vecchio, there is small, secret room called alberghetto. It was used as prison cell for centuries. What amazing stories these walls could tell! It is said that Cosimo the Elder, for fear of being poisoned, retired to this room where he abstained from eating, before the exile that led to his triumphant return to Florence. But the best-known story linked to this prison cell is the one about Girolamo Savonarola. He was kept imprisoned in the tower for over a month before being burnt at the stake in Piazza della Signoria. A bronze commemorative plaque was placed in the exact spot where Savonarola died. This is one of the many stories that the walls of this historic building keep within them.