Piazza dei Vicari

Piazza dei Vicari is the historic centre of Scarperia, a planned Florentine borgo founded in 1306. The Palazzo dei Vicari, the Propositura dei Santi Jacopo e Filippo and the former Augustinian convent frame the square and its history of civic and religious life.

Why it matters

When Florence established Scarperia after destroying the Ubaldini castle of Montaccianico, it planned the new settlement around a main square. The palace of the Florentine vicars and the Augustinian church formed its civic and religious centre. The arrangement has remained legible over seven centuries and reflects Scarperia's role as a planned settlement in the Mugello.

What to notice

The Palazzo dei Vicari is distinguished by its stone facade, coats of arms in pietra serena and glazed terracotta, and a tower about 42 metres high. Across the square stands the Propositura dei Santi Jacopo e Filippo, formerly the church of the Augustinian convent. Traces of market arcades and shopfronts recall the commercial life of the square. The name Piazza dei Vicari preserves the memory of the magistrates who governed the town for Florence.

Context and history

The Vicars were magistrates sent by the Signoria of Florence to govern the new town, with appointments lasting six months. The palace built for them retained this function through the Republican and Medicean periods. Around it developed the Augustinian church, commercial arcades and the open space used for markets, proclamations and civic festivals. The Diotto festivities, associated with the town's foundation and the investiture of the vicar, remain part of Scarperia's historical memory.