Tours and Tickets to Experience Fountain of Neptune

There are plenty of ways to experience the Fountain of Neptune. Looking at ratings and reviews previously given by customers, these are the best tours available right now:

• Florence Highlights: Guided Walking Tour of the Historic Center

• Self-Guided Exploration Tour of Politics and Power in Florence

Visiting the Fountain of Neptune, in Florence’s public Piazza della Signoria, is free. You can also see the outdoor landmark along with the city’s other Renaissance riches on a guided tour. Prices for short group tours typically start at US$30, increasing based on what’s included in the experience and for private tours.

Bartolomeo Ammannati, the sculptor behind landmarks such as the Ponte Santa Trinita, completed the Fountain of Neptune in 1574. He was selected for the project several years earlier, when Cosimo I de’ Medici had local artists apply for the chance to design Florence’s first public fountain.

The Fountain of Neptune tells a story of 16th-century Florence. Designer Bartolomeo Ammannati sculpted Neptune’s face to resemble Cosimo I de’ Medici, symbolizing the family’s maritime dominance. However, the fountain didn’t immediately impress Florentines, who considered the work to be such a waste of marble that they used to do laundry in it—you can still see a nearby plaque warning against such behavior.

Yes, most Florence sightseeing tours will at least pass by this landmark in the important Piazza della Signoria. Enjoy a brief visit to the fountain on a walking, biking, or golf cart tour of the city's Renaissance highlights, or book a private tour to request a deeper dive into the piazza's Medici family history.

The setting of the Fountain of Neptune, Piazza della Signoria, is considered an open-air museum because of all the prominent artworks on display. See sculptures such as Benvenuto Cellini’s Perseus and Giambologna’s Abduction of a Sabine Woman in the Loggia dei Lanzi, then admire the David replica, Arnolfo Tower, and the frescoed courtyard adorning the Palazzo Vecchio.