Wender·Vista
Palazzo Vecchio
shown on ceramic, 12-inch tileItaly
on Piazza della Signoria in Florence

Palazzo Vecchio

— — the tower the city kept building toward.

— Where it lives

Not only on a wall.

A small tile on the nightstand catching the morning. A larger one above the fire. Yours, wherever you spend the slow hours.
— On the nightstand, a 6-inch on a walnut stand
— Among the books, a 6-inch leaning into the spines
— Beside the kettle, a 12-inch propped
— Down a quiet hall, an 18-inch floating off the wall
— Above the fire, the 24-inch in a walnut surround
— a note from the studio

“The fortress-palace at the south end of Piazza della Signoria, where the bell tower rises straight off the rusticated stone and the copy of the David still keeps the door. Florence's working town hall for seven centuries. The square in front fills and empties through the day; the building does not change colour with the hour the way the river does.

from the studio
Palazzo Vecchio
— bring it home

Palazzo Vecchio, on ceramic.

Each tile is finished by hand in our Knoxville studio. Artwork is slowly infused into the ceramic surface under high heat and pressure, and rests beneath a thin glossy finish. The colour lives in the surface, not on top of it.

What kind of piece?
One tile — square or rectangle.
How big?
the popular one — counter, shelf, nightstand
6 × 6 in · 15 cm · 1.6 lb
Surface finish
A clear glossy finish — the artwork reads as if under resin. Ideal for show-pieces and framed wall art.
How it sits
A hidden cleat — sits ¼″ proud of the wall.
$58
Hand-finished and shipped from our studio at the foot of the Smokies. On your wall in about ten days.
— size
6 × 6 in
15 cm
— weighs
1.6 lb
solid in the hand
— surface
ceramic, hand-finished
art rests beneath a thin glossy finish
— from
Knoxville, TN
our family studio, at the foot of the Smokies
— start a Coaster Set

Pick any four 4-inch tiles — National Parks you've been to, a Smokies set, the four seasons of one place. $ for a set of , cork-backed, ready to live on the table.

— about Palazzo Vecchio

The place, in three passes.

A little of what's known, in case you fall down the rabbit hole — or want to go see it yourself.
— the place

Palazzo Vecchio sits on the south side of Piazza della Signoria in Florence, the political centre of the Tuscan capital since 1299, when Arnolfo di Cambio began the design. The Torre di Arnolfo rises 94 metres above the square, its crenellations doubling as the city's medieval clock. The palace served as the seat of the Florentine Republic, then briefly housed the Medici grand dukes before the family moved across the Arno to the Pitti in 1565.

— the stone

The lower walls are pietraforte, the warm grey-brown sandstone quarried from the hills south of the Arno and used across medieval Florence. The rusticated blocks were cut to read as defensive even after the palace's military function ended. Inside, the Salone dei Cinquecento opens fifty-four metres long under a coffered ceiling Giorgio Vasari painted between 1563 and 1565. The David at the door is a replica; Michelangelo's original moved to the Accademia in 1873.

— the visit

The Museo di Palazzo Vecchio is open most days from nine in the morning, with the tower accessible by a separate ticket and closed in heavy rain. Children under six are not permitted on the tower stairs, which climb 223 steps to the walk above the bells. The square outside is free and busiest in late afternoon, when the light reaches the loggia and the street musicians settle in by the fountain of Neptune.

— informed by Musei Civici Fiorentini
— where
Italy · Florence, Tuscany
— position
43.7696° N · 11.2558° E
— the neighborhood

What's nearby.

A handful of named places within an hour's walk or short drive. Some we've already painted; some we will.
0.1 km S
Uffizi Gallery
art museum
0.5 km N
Duomo di Firenze
cathedral
0.3 km SW
Ponte Vecchio
medieval bridge
N
Palazzo Vecchio
Uffizi Gallery
Duomo di Firenze
Ponte Vecchio
— common questions

What people ask.

A few questions we get about Palazzo Vecchio — and about bringing the piece home.
— about the place

Construction began in 1299 under Arnolfo di Cambio and the main palace was complete by 1314. The Torre di Arnolfo rises 94 metres and incorporates an older watchtower on its east flank.

The Salone dei Cinquecento, the Medici apartments, the studiolo of Francesco I, and several courtyards. The building still functions as Florence's city hall while the museum occupies the upper floors and the tower.

Michelangelo's original David stood in front of the palace from 1504 until 1873, when it was moved to the Accademia Gallery for protection. A faithful marble replica has held the original position since 1910.

The Torre di Arnolfo stands 94 metres above the square. Visitors who book the tower ticket climb 223 steps to the upper walkway, which looks across the duomo and the rooftops toward the Arno.

Yes. The mayor of Florence keeps offices on the first floor and the city council still meets in the building. The museum and the civic functions share the palace, continuously occupied since 1314.

— about the piece in your home

It's been a meaningful gift for customers who studied or lived in the city. The piazza is the place Florentines return to when family visits. A Medium or Large with a handwritten note travels well.

The warm pietraforte tones and deep stained-glass blues sit well with Tuscan-classic, library-wood, and jewel-tone Maximalist rooms. The piece holds its own against dark wood panelling and against off-white plaster.

The piece reads at home in the recent return to grand-tour and library-classic styling. It pairs with antique frames, bronze hardware, and the warm-neutral palette characterising the look.

A single Large reads well above most sofas. For a longer wall or a statement entry, a 4-tile or 9-tile Mural carries the architectural geometry of the palace at scale.

Yes, with the Dura Satin or Matte finish. Both are scratch-resistant and humidity-stable for vertical installations above counters and behind sinks.

A microfibre cloth with a little water is all the surface needs. The colour is infused into the ceramic, so the image will not fade or rub off with ordinary cleaning.

Yes. Every WenderVista piece is original to our studio in Knoxville, Tennessee, with no licensing from other artists or stock libraries. Reid Wender curates the atlas himself.

— if this one stayed with you

A few you might also love.

Hand-picked by the eye that found Sorapis. Same air, same kind of quiet.
— a collection

The Italian Dolomites,
painted slow.

The valleys between Cortina and Val Gardena, the tarns you walk an hour to see, the towers that turn the colour of a banked fire just before dark. Wander the collection by valley, by season, or follow the path Reid walked.

Tre Cime
Braies
Misurina
Sorapis
Cinque Torri
Sassolungo
Marmolada