It was begun in 1296 in the Gothic style to the design of Arnolfo di Cambio and completed in 1436 by Filippo Brunelleschi. The exterior of the basilica is faced with polychrome marble panels.
Building of the palace was begun by Giorgio Vasari in 1560 for Cosimo I de' Medici as the offices for the Florentine magistrates. The niches in the piers were filled with sculptures of famous artists.
Standing adjacent the Basilica of Santa Maria del Fiore and the Baptistry of St. John, the tower is one of the showpieces of the Florentine Gothic architecture with its design by Giotto.
It is one of the oldest and most famous art museums of the Western world. Leonardo da Vinci, Botticelli, Giotto, Titian, Michelangelo, Raphael, Cimabue, P. della Francesca, P. di Cosimo, Caravaggio...
