In 1299, the commune and people of Florence decided to build a palace that would be worthy of the city's importance, and that would be more secure and defensible in times of turbulence for the magistrates of the commune. Arnolfo di Cambio, the architect of the Duomo and the Santa Croce church, began construction upon the ruins of "Palazzo dei Fanti" and "Palazzo dell'Esecutore di Giustizia", once owned by the Uberti family. Giovanni Villani (1276–1348) wrote in his "Nuova Cronica" that the Uberti were "rebels of Florence and Ghibellines", stating that the palazzo was built to ensure that the Uberti family homes would never be rebuilt on the same location.