Built in 1255 as the fortress of the Podestà, the Bargello courtyard features vaulted arcades emblazoned with the stone heraldic coats of arms of Florentine city magistrates. It housed the Marzocco—Donatello's stone lion clutching the shield of Florence. In Florentine alchemy, the lion represents raw Solar Fire (Sol) guarding telluric subterranean energy lines.
The full decipherment and its observational protocol — where to stand, when, and what to watch for — are in the Florence field codex.