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Look at... |
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FIRENZE Things to see - Palaces
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Medici Riccardi Palace
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This is the most typical example of a civil Renaissance palace. It was constructed according to an austere plan drawn up Michelozzo for Cosimo the Elder in 1444. Home of the Medici for 100 years, it was then acquired by the Riccardi family and today is the seat of the Prefecture and the Provincial Administration. Inside one finds an elegant courtyard, a small garden in the Italian style, and Benozzo Gozzoli's celebrated chapel, which he decorated in frescoes, representing the Appearance of the Magi (1459).
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Pitti Palace
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This is the most grandiose Florentine palace. Its grounds cover more than three hectares at the summit of the Boboli hill. It was built for the banker Luca Pitti according to plans attributed to Brunelleschi, towards the mid-fifteenth century. The grandiosity of the building demonstrates Pitti's determination to rival the Medici family.
The banker's failure led to suspension of construction, but it was revived again a century later, after which the Medici themselves bought the palace and made it their own residence. The huge courtyard and two side wings dating from 1560 were planned by Bartolomeo Ammannati. In 1621, under Cosimo II dei Medici, the work of expanding the vista and reorganizing the piazza began, following to the plans of Giulio and Alfonso Parigi.
The building passed into the hands of the Lorena family and then was embellished with two wings, finished by Paoletti and Poccianti in the first half of the nineteenth century, together with the smaller palace of the Meridiana.
Some of the most important Florentine museums are now located in the palace and in the Boboli gardens behind it: the Palatina Gallery (on the first floor), the Silver Museum (ground floor and mezzanine), and the Gallery of Modern Art (final floor); while in the Little Palace of the "Cavaliere" on the far side of the garden is the Porcelain Museum and in the Little Palace of the Meridiana, the Costume Gallery.
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Rucellai Palace
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The palace was built between 1455 and 1458 by Bernardo Rossellino, following the plans of Leon Battista Alberti, on behalf of Giovanni Rucellai. It is one of the most richly decorated Renaissance buildings in Florence. Presently it houses the Alinari Museum, dedicated to the history of photography.
First of its kind in Italy, it is the only national institution dedicated exclusively to photography exhibits.
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Strozzi Palace
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| A masterpiece of Renaissance architecture, the Strozzi Palace in via de' Tornabuoni was initiated by Benedetto da Maiano in 1489 upon the request of Filippo Strozzi the Elder. The work was continued by Rosselli and Cronaca up until the sixteenth century. The magnificent large cornicework which outlines two rows of mullioned windows separated by scalloped cornices is by Cronaca. On the ground floor the doors are framed by rectangular windows. The embossed external decoration adds to the monumentality of the entire structure. |
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Old Palace (Palace of the Signoria)
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 Situated in Piazza della Signoria, the Old Palace was built between the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries by Arnolfo di Cambio. It was completed in 1322 when an enormous bell, used to call the citizenry to assembly, was raised atop the tower.
It is the largest civil building of the city, seat of the Priory of the Arts, of the Signoria and ducal residence.
Much of the interior was reconstructed by Vasari when Cosimo I of the Medici moved into the palace in 1540. The many frescoes (1563-65) glorify Cosimo I and his foundation of the Granduchy of Tuscany.
The sixteenth-century Salon, the study of Francesco I, the section of the Elements and the Room of the Gigli are all worth visiting. The fourteenth-century courtyard, decorated by a gracious fountain with a small angel (a copy of an original by Verrocchio) was later rebuilt by Michelozzo. The Old Palace was the seat of the Italian Parliament between 1865 and 1871; today it houses the Municipality. |
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