Piazza della Signoria - Fountain of Neptune Fonte del Nettuno

The most impressive monument in the square, however, is the Fonte di Piazza (del Nettuno), the Fountain of Neptune. The Piazza della Signoria was to be given a magnificent work of art to commemorate the marriage of Francesco de'Medici, son of Cosimo I, to Princess Johanna of Austria (1565), since this union was to take the Medicis into the ranks of the great ruling houses of Europe - Francesco was even to receive the title of Grand Duke.

Must-see attractions nearby:

Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore

Ponte Vecchio

Palazzo Vecchio (Palazzo della Signoria)

Loggia dei Lanzi

Santa Croce

Piazza della Signoria

San Lorenzo

So a fountain which had already been begun to the left of the entrance to the Palazzo Vecchio had to be finished in a hurry, and between 1563 and 1575 Bartolommeo Ammanati and his assistants worked to make this the largest fountain in Florence, with the god Neptune, four horses and three tritons. They may have been in too much of a hurry, since the Florentines were to jeer "Ammanato, che bel marmo hai rovinato" - what lovely marble you've ruined, Ammanato!