Italy: 'Hercules beating the Centaur Nessus', Loggia dei Lanzi, Piazza della Signoria, Florence. Sculpted by...

The Loggia dei Lanzi, also called the Loggia della Signoria, was built between 1376 and 1382 by Benci di Cione and Simone di Francesco Talenti, possibly following a design by Jacopo di Sione, to house the assemblies of the people and hold public ceremonies, such as the swearing into office of the Gonfaloniers and the Priors. The name Loggia dei Lanzi dates back to the reign of Grand Duke Cosimo I, when it was used to house his German mercenary pikemen. After the construction of the Uffizi at the rear of the Loggia, the Loggia's roof was modified by Bernardo Buontalenti and became a terrace from which the Medici princes could watch ceremonies in the piazza. Editor: David Henley