Piazza della Signoria

The other part of my rambling around Thursday brought me to the Piazza della Signoria.  The tower above is part of the Palazzo Vecchio.

A statute of Cosimo I; one of the Medici rulers of Florence.

The fountain of Neptune is in the square to commemorate Cosimo I's naval victories.

The most interesting thing about the piazza is that on the eastern side, stands Loggia del Lanzi, an open loggia that houses incredibly famous statues just out in the open.

Above is Menelaus bearing the body of Patrocles, a Roman copy of the Greek original.

Below is Hercules and Nessus by Giambologna.

The Rape of the Sabine Woman by Giambologna.  (Later in the day I saw a plaster cast in the gallery where Michelangelo's David stands.

The Perseus by Benvenuto Cellini.

Another statue in the piazza, outside the Loggia is this, Hercules and Cacus by Baccio Bandinelli.

Friday evening, I took Dave back to the Piazza and the Loggia to look at the beautiful sculptures.