|
Alberghettino
|
- | [the Little Inn] - a group of small prison cells high atop the tower of the Palazzo della Signoria. |
|
Bargello
|
- | the fortress of the Chief Police Magistrate, once the Palazzo de Popolo. |
| Buffone | - | a comedic entertainer |
| Campanile | - | the bell tower that stands beside the Cathedral of Santa Maria Del Fiore and has been described as "the triumph of the irrational" for the sole justification for its lavish ornamentation and height was to "exceed in height, magnificence and perfection whatever the Greeks and Romans might have done". |
| centering | - | the scaffolding used to support a cupola [dome] during its construction. |
| clothing | see Clothing Glossary | |
|
Consiglio del Commune
|
- | [council of the commune] one of two large representative bodies that voted on laws proposed by the Signoria. [see also: Consiglio del Popolo] |
| Consiglio del Popolo | - | [council of the people] one of two large representative bodies that voted on laws proposed by the Signoria. [see also: Consiglio del Commune] |
| Consulte e Pratiche | - | minutes of consultative meetings held between the Signoria and other governmental bodies. |
| Dogana | - | literally "customs" - as in customs house. |
| duomo | - | any cathedral, but used in the vernacular to describe the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore in Florence. |
| Gonfalone di Giustizia | - | [Gonfaliniere of Justice] - chairman and spokesman of the Signoria. |
| Libri Fabarum | - | the "book of beans" - a record of all votes taken by the Signoria. |
| mezzadria | - | [sharecropper] - a tenant family who farmed land owned by a landlord. |
| Palazzo della Signoria | - | [government palace] - home and meeting place of the Priori. |
| podere | - | an agricultural land unit, typically owned by a landlord and farmed by mezzadria [sharecropper] families. |
| Podesta | - | The Chief Justice of Florence |
| Prosessioner dei Bianchi | - | a religious movement in 1399 whose members dressed in plain white linen hooded robes and set out from Pistoia to Rome in the belief that their piety would drive the Black Death from their city. |
| Signoria | - | the high executive council of Florence, comprised of eight members - the Priori - and the Gonfalone di Giustizia [Gonfalonier of Justice]. Members were drawn from the Major and Minor Guilds of Florence. |
| Stinche Prison | - | an island prison on the Arno, deriving it's name from its first prisoners; the Cavalcanti family who once lived in the Stinche castle. |
|
Ufficiali di Notte
|
- | [Office of the Night] - a special police force established in 1432 to investigate and prosecute men engaging in sodomy. |
|
Vacca
|
-
|
[the cow] - the alarm bell in the tower of the Palazzo della Signoria, named such because its tolling sounded like a distressed cow. This is the bell rung to summon Florentines in case of emergency. |