Construction on Florence’s Bargello, which had begun…
1346 CE
The palace was built to house first the Capitano del Popolo and later, in 1261, the 'podestà', the highest magistrate of the Florence City Council.
This Palazzo del Podestà, as it was originally called, is the oldest public building in Florence.
This austere crenellated building served as model for the construction of the Palazzo Vecchio.