Palazzo dell'Arte della Lana, Medieval guild palace in central Florence, Italy

Palazzo dell'Arte della Lana is a medieval guild palace built in 1308 in central Florence, featuring a grand stone facade with arched windows and decorative elements typical of the period. A corridor designed by Bernardo Buontalenti connects the palace directly to the upper floors of the nearby Orsanmichele church.

The palace was built in 1308 as the seat of the Arte della Lana, incorporating the older Torre dei Compiobbesi, partly burned in 1284 after the expulsion of that Ghibelline family. In 1569 Cosimo I de' Medici had Bernardo Buontalenti build the stair and the overhead passage linking it to Orsanmichele. Purchased by the city in 1890, it was ceded in 1903 to the Società Dantesca Italiana, which had it restored by Enrico Lusini in 1905.

In the Sala delle Udienze, 14th-century frescoes cover the vault with Virtues and Evangelists, with a Madonna in throne between angels between the windows and saints on the left wall, dated 1310-1320 and attributed to Lippo di Benivieni or followers of the Master of the Corsi Crucifix. The right wall holds an Allegory of the Correct Exercise of Justice, painted around 1340 in the style of Ambrogio Lorenzetti.

The palace is located at Via dell'Arte della Lana 1, just steps away from the Orsanmichele church in Florence's historic core, making it easy to visit. The central location means you can easily combine a stop here with walks through nearby medieval streets and piazzas.

The 1569 overpass linking the palace to Orsanmichele was built by Bernardo Buontalenti so Cosimo I could reach the church's new Archivio Generale dei Contratti privati e dei testamenti. Its roof was removed during Guido Morozzi's restorations of 1964-1967, and the passage now serves as the entrance to the Orsanmichele Museum.