Michelangelo's Importuno

Walk up to the corner of Palazzo Vecchio and look at the stone at eye level. Among the worn blocks a man's profile appears: a strong nose, a forehead, a jutting chin. It is called 'l'Importuno di Michelangelo', Michelangelo's bore.

1The legends

The most popular version says Michelangelo was standing here when a man started talking at him and would not stop. Fed up, the artist carved the man's portrait into the stone, without ever stopping listening, to mock him. Other versions claim he did it with his back to the wall, on a bet, or that he portrayed a condemned man passing by on his way to the gallows.

None of these stories has any documentary backing: they are tales handed down from one guide to the next.

2A serious hypothesis

In 2020 the art historian Adriano Marinazzo suggested in the magazine «Art e Dossier» that the profile might really be by Michelangelo. He compared it with a drawing by the artist from the early 16th century, now in the Louvre, which it closely resembles. He also pointed out that nobody could have carved into a guarded palace without permission. It is an interesting hypothesis, not a confirmed attribution.

3Savonarola's fire

Before you go, look at the pavement of the square, in front of the Fountain of Neptune, for a round granite plaque. It marks the spot where, on 23 May 1498, the friar Girolamo Savonarola and two companions were hanged and burned. Only a year earlier, he himself had staged the 'Bonfire of the Vanities' in this square.

4What to look for

• The carved profile on the corner of the palace.
• Savonarola's plaque in the pavement.
• The statue of Hercules and Cacus, by Bandinelli, beside the entrance.