Palazzo Pitti
Only a 10-minute walk from our apartments, Palazzo Pitti is one of the most important political residences in Florence.
The history of Florence was also the history of the rivalry between noble families, such as the Strozzis, the Pittis and the Medicis. The race to show how great and powerful they actually were, was naturally expressed also in the splendour of their buildings.
These very reasons are at the basis of the monumental construction of Palazzo Pitti that was started around 1457 and it was completed, following a few interruptions, towards 1470. In fact, Luca Pitti wanted to construct a building that was much larger than the one that had just been built by Cosimo de’ Medici (the Elder), a residence that was the clear expression of the value of the family itself.
Subsequent historical developments
Following the alternating fortunes of the Pitti family, half way through the 16th century, the Palazzo passed into the hands of its ancient rivals, the Medici family and considering their great fame, this residence contributed to the flourishing of the entire area of the Oltrarno district.
This was only the beginning of the splendor of Palazzo Pitti which, during the course of the 16th century completely changed its appearance thanks to the extension of the Ammannati and to the construction of the Corridor by Giorgio Vasari in order to connect Palazzo Pitti to the Palazzo Vecchio in Florence.
Since the death of the last Grand-Duchess, the Electress Palatine Anna Maria Luisa de’Medici in 1743 until 1871, Palazzo Pitti was initially the residence of the Lorena family and then the Savoy family. Between 1865 and 1871 Florence was proclaimed the Capital city and Pitti Palace became the residence of the King of Italy.
Visiting Palazzo Pitti today
Today, Palazzo Pitti is divided into several museums, which host most of the heritage of “objects” donated to the city of Florence by Anna Maria Luisa de’ Medici so that they remain an ornament of the State, for Public utility and to attract the curiosity of Foreigners, as was written in her will and testament entitled the “Family Pact”.
Within the many apartments of Palazzo Pitti, today you may visit various prestigious museums. Not to be missed:
The Palatine Gallery and the royal apartment
On the first floor of the Palazzo, you can admire the Palatine Gallery, built between the 18th and the 19th century by the Lorena family which hosts a collection of statues and paintings including those by Raphael, Caravaggio, Rubens and Titian. The Royal Apartments can be found adjacent to the Gallery; the antique rooms in which the Medici family lived first followed by the Lorena family. These are rich in fine valuable furniture, an example of high level Florentine craftsmanship. Here you can find splendid examples of “scagliola” decorated tables (with a form of plaster that imitates decorative stone), together with furniture that was turned and inlaid with mother of pearl.
Modern Art Gallery
On the second floor there are paintings and sculptures ranging between the late 18th century and the First World War, with works by the Macchiaioli artists, the movement that developed in Tuscany between the 19th and the 20th century.
The Silver Museum
On the ground floor, in the left wing of the museum, located in the majestic reception rooms, frescoed with allegorical motifs, this is the place where you can find the collection of precious objects, some of which were bought by the Medici family in Europe and the Far East, and some other produced by the expert Florentine craftsmen’s workshops. In addition to the collection of jewels and cameos, there are also crystal and silver vases embellished with semiprecious stones, ivory and gems.
The Porcelain Museum
Once part of the Silver Museum, in 1973 it was moved to the most panoramic point of Boboli Gardens, the Casino del Cavaliere (literally: the Knight’s small home). The Porcelain Museum hosts porcelain tableware belonging to the Medici, Lorena and Savoy families.
At the end of this visit, you may wish to stroll through the harmonious Boboli Gardens, the largest park in the heart of the city, with one of its entrances in front our apartments situated in Viale del Poggio Imperiale.
