Palazzo Vecchio (Old Palace) located in Piazza della Signoria is the former seat of the city council. It was designed by Arnolfo di Cambio in 1299. Inside the building, there is, among others: The Room of the Five Hundred (Salone dei Cinquecento), the most impressive chamber, 52 meters long and 23 meters wide, (built on Savonarola's request), accessed by a wide staircase designed by Vasari.
In 1503, two great Renaissance masters were commissioned to paint the frescoes decorating the hall: Michelangelo and Leonardo da Vinci. Their designs were never realized (Leonardo tried, unsuccessfully, to use a new method of painting frescoes, and Michelangelo left only sketches).
