Palazzo Pitti
Florence
Palazzo Pitti is the largest monumental residence in Florence, home to the Medici, the Lorraine and, briefly, the Savoy. Its imposing rusticated façade looks onto the square of the same name, while behind it stretch the famous Boboli Gardens. Today it houses museums full of masterpieces, from the Palatine Gallery to the Treasury of the Grand Dukes.
The story of the palace
Palazzo Pitti was built around the middle of the 15th century for the Florentine banker Luca Pitti, a rival of the Medici. By an irony of fate, in 1549 the palace was bought by none other than Eleonora di Toledo, wife of Cosimo I de' Medici, and became the new grand-ducal residence. Over the following centuries it was enlarged and embellished, hosting the dynasties that ruled Tuscany, until it became a royal residence of the Savoy when Florence was the capital of Italy.
Architecture and enlargements
The façade, in sturdy rusticated pietra forte, the local sandstone, conveys a sense of solidity and power. Smaller at first, it was gradually extended to its present size, with a very long front that dominates the sloping square. The architect Bartolomeo Ammannati created the splendid inner courtyard that connects the palace to the Boboli Gardens.
The museums and Boboli
Today Palazzo Pitti is a first-rate museum complex. The Palatine Gallery holds the grand dukes' picture collection, with many works by Raphael and Titian hung in the old style, densely covering the walls. There are also the Royal Apartments, the Gallery of Modern Art, the Museum of Fashion and the Treasury of the Grand Dukes. Behind it stretch the Boboli Gardens, a masterpiece of the Italian garden full of fountains, grottoes and sculptures.
Visiting Palazzo Pitti
The palace lies in the Oltrarno district, across the Ponte Vecchio. It is linked to the Uffizi by the Vasari Corridor. A visit can easily take a whole day, between frescoed halls and gardens. A sumptuous stop on the treasure map that tells of the splendour of the Florentine courts.
