In the 16th century, Florence was rife with conspiracies against the Medici family. One of the most famous was the attempted assassination of Duke Cosimo I, organized by the noble Pucci family.
The plan was very simple: the assassins would hide behind a ground-floor window of Palazzo Pucci. From there, they intended to shoot Cosimo I as he passed by in the street. However, the Duke was warned of the danger in time and managed to evade the ambush before it could be carried out.
Cosimo I’s revenge was terrible. Once the culprits were discovered, he had the mastermind, Pandolfo Pucci, arrested and publicly hanged. As a punishment and a warning for the future, the Duke ordered the window from which the attack was to be launched to be walled up forever.
Even today, anyone walking along Via de’ Pucci can see that bricked-up window. It remains a silent symbol of an ancient betrayal and the harsh justice of the Medici.
