Construction begins in 1256 on the two-story…

Construction begins in 1256 on the two-story Bargello, or “Palazzo del Podestá,” intended to serve Florence as armory, city jail, and residence of the chief of police.

Built alongside the Volognana Tower, it will from 1261 also house the Podestà, the highest magistrate of the Florence City Council.

Today the oldest public building in Florence, this austere crenellated building will serve as a model for the construction of the Palazzo Vecchio.

In 1574, the Medici will dispense with the function of the Podestà and house the bargello, the police chief of Florence, in this building, hence its name.

It will later be employed as a prison; executions will take place in the Bargello's yard until they are abolished by Grand Duke Peter Leopold in 1786.

It will remain the headquarters of the Florentine police until 1865.