Art museum, Museum, Tourist attraction
Palazzo Pitti
Florence's largest palace, home in turn to the Medici, Habsburg-Lorraine and Savoy, now holds five museums, from Medici paintings in the Palatine Gallery to a fashion museum, at the foot of the Boboli Gardens.
The story
Banker Luca Pitti had the palace built in the mid-15th century, possibly to a design by Brunelleschi, on the slopes of Boboli hill across the Arno. Left unfinished at his death in 1473, it was bought by Eleonora of Toledo, wife of Cosimo I de' Medici, and extended by Bartolomeo Ammannati while the Boboli Gardens took shape behind it. Victor Emmanuel II lived here when Florence was Italy's capital, and in 1919 it passed to the Italian State. Rusticated stone blocks give the façade its fortress-like weight. Inside, the Palatine Gallery hangs Medici paintings, including Caravaggio's Sleeping Cupid and Bronzino's portrait of Morgante the Dwarf, beneath frescoed Baroque ceilings. The Royal Apartments, Treasury of the Grand Dukes, Russian icon collection, Gallery of Modern Art and Museum of Costume and Fashion fill the rest of the palace.
Good to know
TAGGG AI- ✦The Royal Apartments need a separate timed booking from the standard ticket, with small groups admitted at a time.
- ✦Book tickets online ahead of time to avoid the queue, especially in high season.
- ✦Wear comfortable shoes and carry water in summer, as the palace and hilly gardens involve lots of walking and get hot.
