Roman Theater Under Palazzo Vecchio Reopens to Visitors on November 14

Millions of people cross Piazza della Signoria in Florence every year. Very few know that, right under their feet and under Palazzo Vecchio, lie the remains of the Roman theater of ancient Florentia.

Starting Saturday, November 14, 2026, the Musei Civici Fiorentini (the city’s civic museums) and the MUS.E Foundation are bringing back guided visits to these excavations every weekend. Groups are small, so you’ll need to book ahead.

What You’ll See Under Palazzo Vecchio

According to the City of Florence, in the age of Emperor Hadrian (2nd century AD) the theater could hold 8,000 to 10,000 spectators. Its remains stretch under Palazzo Vecchio and the neighboring Palazzo Gondi.

The seating area, the cavea, faced what is now Piazza della Signoria. The stage ran along Via dei Leoni, the narrow street behind the palace.

A theater that size tells you how much the Roman town grew during the imperial age. It stayed in use until the 5th century AD, then slowly fell apart and was stripped for building materials.

What makes the visit special is everything that came next. The burelle, the radial brick corridors that held up the semicircular seating, were reused for centuries: as dumps, lime kilns, burial places and animal stalls. Around the 12th and 13th centuries, some of them became prisons.

Part of the old seating was fortified and turned into a watchtower known as the Guardingo. From the 11th century on, medieval buildings rose on top of the Roman walls, including the tower houses of the Foraboschi and Manieri families and the Palazzo dei Bellialberti.

Palazzo Vecchio, begun at the end of the 13th century, slowly swallowed all of them. And when the hall of the Great Council, today’s Salone dei Cinquecento, was built, the Roman radial chambers were used as plinths for its foundations.

In other words, the most famous room in the palace literally stands on the Roman theater.

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Back After a Short Pause

If this news sounds familiar, there’s a reason. The excavations had already reopened on December 13, 2025, after five years of closure: first because of the COVID-19 pandemic, then for fire safety upgrades.

Then, according to the museum’s notices, visits were suspended again from October 16, 2026. The City didn’t give a reason. Weekend tours start again on November 14.

Visiting Times, Tickets and How to Book

Here’s what the official visitor information says:

• When: every Saturday and Sunday, guided tours at 12:00 noon and 12:45 p.m.
• Group size: 15 people at most
• Ticket: €5
• Booking: email info@musefirenze.it or call +39 055 0541450
• Meeting point: the tour starts and ends in the ticket office area of Palazzo Vecchio
• Accessibility: visitors with disabilities can reach the second part of the tour from the palace’s third courtyard

The €5 price has been in place since February 1, 2026, when the civic museums raised the excavation ticket from €4. If you find €4 on older pages, that’s why.

The official notice doesn’t say whether you also need a Palazzo Vecchio museum ticket, how long the tour lasts, or which languages the guides speak. Ask when you book, especially if you don’t speak Italian.

With only 15 places per tour and two tours a day, don’t count on just showing up.

Visiting the Rest of Palazzo Vecchio

Upstairs, the museum is the main event: the Salone dei Cinquecento, with its gilded ceiling and huge battle scenes, and the frescoed rooms where the Medici dukes once lived.

• Hours: 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. every day except Thursday, when it closes at 2 p.m. Last tickets are sold one hour before closing.
• Tickets: €18 full price, €12 reduced (ages 18 to 25 and university students). Under 18s get in free.
• Arnolfo Tower: separate ticket, €20 full price or €13 reduced. Kids under 6 aren’t allowed, and the tower closes when it rains.

For the climb and the views, read our guide to the Arnolfo Tower in Florence.

More Hidden Corners of Florence

If the Roman theater is your kind of thing, Florence has a few more places that most visitors walk right past:

• The Vasari Corridor, the raised passage the Medici used to cross the city without mixing with the crowds.
• Palazzo Medici Riccardi, where the ticket also covers an archaeological route.
• The Bargello, a medieval palace and former prison that now holds a superb sculpture collection.

Planning the rest of your trip? Start with our Florence travel guide.