Piazza della Signoria in Florence, View by Bernardo Bellotto

Florence is made of a pride of stone. Bellotto, nephew and pupil of Canaletto, brings his sharpest eye to bear here.

At the centre of the scene stands the Palazzo della Signoria, massive and severe, with the Torre di Arnolfo rising straight up to pierce the sky and remind everyone who rules this city. Beside it, the Loggia dei Lanzi opens its arches like a marble theatre, and the statues have stood motionless guard over the square for centuries. The Fountain of Neptune, the equestrian monument of Cosimo I: every element is in its place, as in a tale that Florence never tires of telling.

But it is in the crowd that the work comes to life. Look at the figures: merchants in discussion, ladies crossing the paving, groups gathered in the shade of the palaces, the small, everyday bustle of a city that works, bargains and tells its own story.

Feel history under your fingertips