The prominent clock was originally built in 1300 by Nicolò Bernardo in a Florentine workshop on Via dell’Oriuolo; meaning, the street of the clock. In 1665, Grand Duke Fernanando II ordered the clock’s mechanism to be modified according to the scientific principles of Galileo. The grand clock spans 6 feet long and 6 feet wide. The clock has a single hand, whose rotation is now regulated digitally and connected to the bells that ring once a day at noon.
Visitors are welcome to come see the monuments working ancient mechanism, operated by provisional control operations, for a €10 fee in accessing the tower. (izzy lunow)
To to see a slideshow, visit Florence’s La Repubblica news site.