Ark and Laura in Florence 2005 (101 of 172)

To the right of the Plazzo Vecchio is the elegant Loggia della Signoria. The airy loggia was probably built on a design by Andrea Orcagna -- spawning another of its many names, the Loggia di Orcagna (another is the Loggia della Signoria). The three huge arches of its simple, harmonious form were way ahead of the times, an architectural style that really belongs to the Renaissance. This open arcade is filled with statuary. At the front left corner stands Benvenuto Cellini's masterpiece in bronze, Perseus (1545), holding out the severed Medusa's head before him, restored from 1996 to 2000.