What makes this gorgeous square so agreeable is, in part, its wealth of fountains and statues, climaxing with this 14th-century loggia where works such as Giambologna's Rape of the Sabine Women , Benvenuto Cellini's bronze Perseus (1554) (c 1583) and Agnolo Gaddi's Seven Virtues (1384–89) are displayed. The loggia owes its name to the Lanzichenecchi (Swiss bodyguards) of Cosimo I, who were stationed here, and the present-day guards live up to this heritage, sternly monitoring crowd behaviour and promptly banishing anyone carrying food or drink.
