Looking Up at Palazzo Vecchio

Once the seat of Italian government, then Florence's City Hall, and now a museum, Palazzo Vecchio is an extraordinary building for its appearance as well as its history. Outside, a replica of Michaelangelo's famous statue of David towers beside the entrance and inside, well inside, every surface is so heavily decorated it's hard to know where to look.

Frescoes in the first courtyard had scenes of cities in what is now Austria, in honor of the wedding of one of the Medici sons to a Hapsburg daughter. The columns are reminiscent of a wedding cake aren't they?

The exquisite courtyard ceilings hint at the ornamentation to come and I found myself looking up in every room, enchanted by the variety and beauty of the ceiling art:

Looking up so long can be hard on the neck. I found this framed bench for a short rest:

It's quite a contrast to this also-fabulous face-chair:

I'm including this photo simply because I like it and, like the available seating, it represents an old art which contrasts...

...with the traveling exhibit of Damian Hirst's diamond-encrusted skull, also on display at Palazzo Vecchio: