Loggia dei Lanzi

Loggia dei Lanzi (also referred to as the Loggia della Signoria or Logia della Orcagna) is a free outdoor museum in the heart of Firenze. This free mini museum is located on the corner of the Piazza della Signoria and adjoins the Uffizi Gallery which if you are visiting Firenze, you simply cannot miss! Loggia (which literally means an open area on the side of a building with a roof) was actually proposed by Michelangelo to characterize the now infamous Piazza!
Enjoy a gelato or massive focaccia sandwich (or both, like I did! hehe) while walking around the Loggia and admiring the statuary. On display is the artistic genius of Cellini, Giambologna and Pio Fedi. My favorite sculptures of the Loggia (and probably most famous) are the representations of Perseus with Medusa’s head and The Rape of the Sabine Women.
The bronze Perseus statue by Cellini presents the Greek hero with a sword in one hand and Medusa’s head in the other. Displaying three figures, The Rape of the Sabine Women was made by the Giambologna from the largest block of white marble ever brought to Firenze.
Like many Renaissance statues, the bodies are immaculate with faces full of expression. The Rape of the Sabine Women in particular looks like a snapshot in time. With the ability to walk around most of the pieces in the Loggia, you can truly admire them with a 360 degree view.

Everyone in Florence wants to see Michelangelo’s David, yet most people don’t even blink an eye at the ridiculous statue of Perseus holding Medusa’s head with entrails falling out. This statue, along with many others, are viewable for free at Loggia dei Lanzi.
We spent a lot of time admiring the statues here. Not only is it free, but it isn’t crowded (in July, mind you) and it’s outdoors in the shade.
There are plaques describing all of the artwork, so it feels more like a museum than just random, unlabeled piazza sculptures.
In short, you’ll probably walk through this area anyway (intentionally or not), so you might as well check it out.

Also called the Loggia della Signoria, the Loggia dei Lanzi is a great place to sit, relax and people-​watch in the shadows of some of Italy’s most famous and iconic sculptures. The building is adjacent to the incredible Uffizi gallery and across from the Palazzo Vecchio, outside of which stands a replica of Michaelangelo’s David. Many art students and art lovers can be seen sitting here with their sketchbooks and pencils hoping to glean a bit of inspiration from the genius of the surrounding Italian masters. The most amazing part is that this is a public space, open to everyone, free of charge. Traveling through Europe can be VERY expensive (especially if you’re traveling with two teenage boys with bottomless stomachs, like we were), so stumbling across a freebee like this every now and then was much appreciated.

If you offered me three sandwiches and the opportunity to enjoy them anywhere in the world, the Loggia dei Lanzi would be one of those three choices.
Serving as a shelter from the crowds passing through Firenze and the sun bearing down upon the city, this open-​air gallery also houses amazing statues from Renaissance artists like Cellini, Giambologna, Fedi, Fancelli and Vacca.