Palazzo Pitti. Palazzo pitti in florence

Afterwards, take a leisurely stroll along Guicciardini Street. And you will not notice how the road will lead you to Pitti Square. It is here that one of the largest and most magnificent palaces in Florence is located - Palazzo Pitti. What is today a huge Florentine museum was once home to the finest members of great dynasties.

In the 15th century, the Medici family was in power in Florence. The family's affairs were quite successful, and the people respected its representatives. One of the family's most devoted friends was the Florentine banker Luca Pitti. However, as it turned out later, the devotion was ostentatious, and the true feeling that possessed the rich banker was envy. It was she who forced her once friend to organize a conspiracy against the current government of the Medici family in 1458.

At the same time, to show his superiority, Luca Pitti began construction of the palace. According to the plan, the new palazzo was supposed to surpass any of the Medici houses. Some historical documents say that Pitti ordered the architect a palace in the courtyard of which the entire Medici palace would fit, and the windows were supposed to be the same size as the doors of the same Medici.

It was previously assumed that the project was entrusted to the best architect of the time (Filippo Brunelleschi (Brunellesco)), 1377-1446) . However, recently historians have been inclined to believe that most likely the idea belonged to his student Luca Franceli. This assumption is supported by both some architectural differences and the fact that, according to updated data, Brunelleschi had already died at the time of the start of construction.

The size of the new construction was staggering. To find a sufficient amount of labor, everyone who could be useful was hired at the construction site. These could even be wanted criminals and people driven out of the city. But, despite its grandiose scale, the Pitti Palace could not compare with the calm grandeur of the Medici residences.

Over time, the Pitti family's prosperity began to fade when his patron (Cosimo di Giovanni de' Medici) died. Due to the advance of the Ottoman Empire, trade affairs in Europe were in a precarious state. Many once rich families went bankrupt. And in 1464, construction work in the palace stopped due to lack of funding. And in 1472 the owner himself died, without ever seeing the completion of his enterprise.

Continuation of a story

Despite the difficult situation in the country, the Pitti family was able to maintain some influence and continued to live in the unfinished palace. In 1537, Cosimo I regained power in Florence, becoming Grand Duke of Tuscany. In 1549, Cosimo I bought the palace from the completely impoverished descendants of Luca Pitti, and presented it to his wife Eleonora of Toledo as a gift.

To move to their new possessions, the Duke and his wife decided to expand them. The original project was taken as a basis. The building was greatly expanded at the rear, almost doubling the occupied area. The interior space of the palace was divided into parts by semicircular arches with pilasters. The final version of the structure was 205 meters long and 38 meters high.

In 1565, by order of the Duke, the architect designed and brought to life a building connecting the palace, where government meetings were held, with the Palazzo Pitti, where the entire Medici family was going to move. The covered passage also passes through the Ponte Vecchio. The part of the bridge that passes over the Arno is equipped with a number of wide windows, from which a beautiful view of the river opens. The closed corridor allowed the Duke and his family to move quite easily and safely. Later the building received the name of the architect who created it.

The land behind the palazzo was also purchased. Later, a park was laid out on it, today known as. Niccolo Tribolo began to develop the park, and after his death the baton passed into the hands of Bartolomeo Ammanati. Giorgio Vasari, Bernardo Buonaletti and other equally famous architects also took part in the creation of the garden and park complex. The park is an example of landscape gardening art of those times. Here, straight alleys entwined with greenery lead to secret grottoes, and trees look harmonious in the company of statues and fountains. The central place of the park was considered to be an amphitheater in the shape of a horseshoe. It was there that all the festive events and various ceremonies took place.

Over time, the influence of the Medici began to fade. Palaces and titles continued to be passed on to subsequent generations, but in 1737 the family died out completely. After this, Palazzo Pitti became the property of the Duke of Lorraine. However, this did not last long. After the Napoleonic wave of conquest, the palace was in the hands of the French for some time. In 1860, the palace, together with the Tuscan province, came under the rule of the Savoy dynasty. From 1865 to 1871, during the Risorgimento, the King of Italy lived in the Pitti Palace Victor Emmanuel II. And in 1919, his grandson nationalized the palace, donating it to Italy.

After nationalization, the palazzo and the adjacent Bobole Gardens were divided into several museums and art galleries, housing original works of art and various artifacts owned by the state. Approximately 140 premises are open for public inspection. Almost all of them were developed at the end of the 17th and 18th centuries. In 2005, during one of the reconstructions, several secret bathrooms were discovered, preserved in their original form from the 18th century.

Architecture

The Pitti Palace embodies the architect's vision in the Renaissance style. It is a cube, equal in height and depth, and covered on the outside with rough rusticated stone. The building has three floors. The first has three large entrance doors, and the second and third have seven windows. The windows of the facade are connected by a long balcony, and a loggia is built under the roof.

Palazzo Pitti is not just one of the largest Florentine palaces, but also the most impressive of them all. The use of rough finishing materials when facing a residential building, rather than a public building, which was first used by the architect Michelozzo in the Palazzo Medici Riccardi, is here elevated to the highest degree. Each of the three floors is more than 10 meters high. This elevates the building to an unprecedented height for those times, enhanced by natural elevation. Large, rough, golden-colored stones used for cladding and windows that looked more like rounded doorways completed the original appearance of the structure.

After the first reconstruction of the palace, carried out on the orders of Cosimo de' Medici, the appearance changed somewhat. The side doors became huge floor windows. A wide staircase appeared, along which one could immediately get to the second floor. The length of the facade almost doubled due to two additional extensions. The main change Ammanati made is the courtyard. It is still considered the most beautiful Renaissance courtyard (Cortile dell'Ammannati). The walls facing the courtyard alternate between smooth and rough textures. The courtyard's columns resemble rough, gnarled tree trunks, emphasizing the mixture of art and nature.

The last global changes occurred with the palace in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. The architects of the Dukes of Laurent, Ruggeri, Paoletti and Poccianti, added two semicircular wings to the sides of the building. As a result, the palace square was surrounded on three sides by walls. The left wing was named "Rondo of Bacchus", after the statue of the same name located nearby. The right wing was called the “Carriage Rondo”.

During the 18th and 19th centuries, the appearance of many rooms changed towards neoclassicism and Restoration. You may find the so-called White Room especially interesting. Initially, its walls were covered with frescoes made by the Albertoli brothers. The room was later transformed into a neoclassical style by the architects Terreni and Castagnoli.

The French conquerors also left their mark on the interior of the palace. These include, for example, the room and vestibule of Maria Bourbon or Napoleon’s bathroom. They were made by the outstanding representative of Tuscan neoclassicism Giuseppe Cacialli.

Palazzo Pitti today

Today, the Pitti Palace houses museums and art galleries. Moving to the Pitti Palace, the Medici took with them from the Palazzo Vecchio the entire collection of works of art, consisting of many paintings by famous artists, sculptures, silverware and precious stones. Gradually, the entire second floor was turned into a luxurious gallery. It contained the mythical halls of Venus, Jupiter, Apollo, Mars and. They were painted by Pietro da Cortona ( Pietro da Cortona, real name Pietro Berrettini, Berrettini)).

Initially, the entire ducal collection was placed there. Later, the Lorraines supplemented it, although they placed the paintings according to their own taste. Despite the fact that the paintings initially served a purely decorative function, their arrangement has not changed since then. This adds extra flair to a unique collection of art.

Gallery Palatine

For the first time, visitors were able to look at the magnificent works of Renaissance masters in 1828 at the Palatine Gallery. It presents paintings by famous artists: Caravaggio, Velazquez, Tintoretto, Van Dyck and many others. The number of works (Raffaello Santi) is remarkable – there are 11 of them.

The overall interior of the hall amazes with its luxury in the Baroque style, providing an excellent backdrop for the works of art on display. Contemplating famous paintings made by masters, you get real pleasure.

Gallery of Contemporary Art

The Gallery of Modern Art houses an exhibition with works by Italian masters of a later period (19th-20th centuries). A group of Florentine masters painted paintings in the form of bright spots of various colors. They called themselves (Italian macchiaioli, from macchia - spot).

Silver Museum (Museo degli Argenti)

Exclusive vases that once belonged to the Silver Museum have found a home. Vases of the Sassanian Empire and amphoras brought from. The variety of exhibits is amazing, but the main place, of course, is occupied by jewelry and other items made of gold and silver. The museum contains simply fabulous riches. The model of Piazza della Signoria, decorated with precious stones and metals, deserves special attention.

Museum of carriages (Museo delle carrozze) and costume

The carriage museum will present to your attention various means of transportation. Here you can see both the first carts, still without springs, and cars.

The Meridian (Small Palace), added to the main building in the 18th century, houses an exhibition of costumes. Its exhibition changes every two years. In total, the Costume Museum (Galleria del Costume) contains about 6 thousand costumes and accessories dating back to the 16th century.

In the right wing of the palace you can admire the interiors of the Royal Apartments of 14 halls.

How to get there

The Pitti Palace is located in Piazza Pitti near the Palazzo Vecchio. Address: Piazza dei Pitti Firenze, Italy. You can get there using buses No. 11.36 (San Felice stop).

Tickets and opening hours

There are always many people who want to visit the Pitti Palace museums and Boboli Gardens. However, thanks to the huge space occupied, you won’t run into other visitors at every step. But to buy tickets at the museum box office without queuing at the height of the season, you need to have a considerable amount of luck.

The palace is open to the public every day, except Mondays, from 8-15 to 18-50. The entrance closes at 17-30. After all, the Palatine Gallery alone houses at least 500 paintings. But the inspection takes time, more than one hour. With the same ticket you can visit the Gallery of Modern Art.

To avoid long queues, tickets to visit the Pitti Palace and the surrounding gardens can be pre-booked on the website. True, the cost of booking will be added to the ticket price, usually 3 euros. After completing your order and paying for it, you will receive a voucher to your email address, which you must print and exchange for a ticket on the day of your visit without queuing.

• Official website for ticket sales: www.polomuseale.firenze.it

If you have free time, we recommend that you purchase tickets to the palace and gardens immediately. The cost of a ticket to the Palatine Gallery is 8.5 euros. This ticket is valid for the Gallery of Contemporary Art. A ticket to the Museum of the History of Costume will cost you 7 euros, and you can also use it to enter the Silver Museum and the Boboli Gardens. The best option is to buy a combined ticket for 12 euros. It will give you the opportunity to explore any of the sights of Palazzo Pitti and the Boboli Gardens for three days.

Important: During any additional exhibitions, ticket prices may change. But do not forget about the system of discounts for preferential categories of the population. More detailed and up-to-date information can always be found on the website.

• Official website of the palazzo: www.polomuseale.firenze.it/musei/pitti.php?m=palazzopitti

Italians like to say that without visiting Florence, you cannot understand Italy. In our case, we can say that without visiting Palazzo Pitti and the Boboli Gardens, you cannot fully enjoy it. Take the time to explore this national treasure and symbol of aristocratic power.

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The Pitti Palace is one of the “highlights” of Florence, which gave the world Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, Dante, Boccaccio, Petrarch, Galileo. For tourists this is a place of real pilgrimage. Such an amount of educational and beautiful things existing in one city is unique. Literally - you can’t take a step here without touching something historically or artistically significant. Florence arose before our era (the founder was Julius Caesar himself!), but its heyday began in the 14th century, when Palazzo Pitti was built.

Child of the Quattrocento era

It was during this period that Florence became not only the financial, commercial, but also the cultural center of Europe. Largely thanks to the wise rule of the Medici family. Cosimo Medici the Elder, who ruled in those years, was respected by the people, including for his modesty. Which forced him to abandon the implementation of the grandiose architectural masterpiece created by Filippo Brunelleschi and choose a more modest (at least in size) option. But among his “sworn friends” was the Florentine banker Luca Pitti. He not only participated in a conspiracy against his patron, but also took on the construction of a Palazzo that would be larger in size than all the Medici residences. This became the meaning of his whole life. But the patron died, the finances dried up, and soon the enterprising Luka himself passed away without completing what he started.

For some time, his descendants lived in the unfinished palace. Having become completely impoverished, they sold it to Cosimo the First, the grandson of Cosimo Medici the Elder. The new owner not only completed, but expanded, improved, and enriched the original project.

The uniqueness of Pitti Palace

Both architectural forms and stylistic elements give this building a strict, pretentious appearance. The cladding used a non-standard material for that time - rusticated stone. Outwardly, its untreated surface looks rough and harsh. The length of the structure is 205 meters, the height is almost 40. This is in the final version, which is twice as large as the original project.

In the 16th century, the architect Giorgio Vasari created a unique corridor that connected Palazzo Pitti with no less unique residences - the Vecchio Palace and the Uffizi Gallery. This covered passage was erected over the bridge over the Arno River, which makes the bridge not just a crossing, but an architectural monument. The bridge lives its own life. And the corridor gave the ruler of Florence the opportunity to safely move from the Vecchio Palace, where he worked, to Pitti, where he lived. And at the same time, observe the bustling life of the city.

The exterior and interior of Palazzo Pitti provide a powerful contrast. Behind the gloomy stone slabs is a luxurious interior filled with beautiful frescoes, paintings, tapestries, and stucco moldings. All this is in gold, silk, brocade. Splendor and grandeur

National treasure

Years and centuries passed. Tidbit - Pitti Palace was passed from hand to hand, from dynasty to dynasty. But the 20th century came, and in 1919 it was nationalized. Now this magnificence is completely open to people. Curious tourists have access to art galleries, including modern art, museums of silver, porcelain, carriages, and costumes.

The Palatine Gallery is stunning. The fact is that the owners used the paintings as interior items. And they were sometimes placed with the aim of achieving decorative effect. It’s strange, of course, to look at some masterpieces with your head up at the ceiling. But this also gives the gallery a peculiar charm. As is the abundance of masterpieces collected in one place. Titian, Giorgione, Rubens, Van Dyck, Caravaggio, Veronese... The list could go on for a long time. There are more paintings by Raphael here than in any other museum in the world.

“The museum exceeded all expectations”, “one of the most interesting places in Florence”, “we realized that we need to come back here”, “a week is not enough to enjoy all the exhibits on display” - these are the most frequent reviews of tourists who visited the Pitti Palace.

A large number of enthusiastic responses about the Silver Museum. Here you can see not only silver products, but also gold, precious stones, ivory, and crystal. The collection of vases, from antique to Byzantine and Venetian, leaves no one indifferent. The elegance of jewelry evokes admiration.

The best park ensemble of Renaissance Italy

Just behind the Pitti Palace there is a huge (4.5 hectares) park, named Boboli after the hill on which it is located. “If you don’t visit the Boboli Garden, you will miss half the possible joys of visiting Florence!” - this opinion is shared by many guests and tourists. Because the park is a kind of museum, filled with beautiful plants, fountains, sculptures, and gazebos. Nicolo Tribolo, a famous master of landscape art, participated in its creation. His work, interrupted by death, was continued by a whole galaxy of talented followers. The result is a work of art in which both living nature and the creations of human hands are presented.

At the intersection of art and science

While some other palaces and residences in the world can boast of sculptures, fountains, and gazebos with columns, there are no such unique grottoes as in Boboli Park. When creating grottoes, it is necessary to take into account the geographical, landscape, and technical features of the place, soil, and ground water. The creators of the famous grottoes fully succeeded in this. The first of them, the Grotto of Moses, elegantly solves the problem of the difference in levels: through it the amphitheater, located near the palace building, logically flows into the courtyard. The second grotto - Buontalenti Grotto - is a real dungeon of miracles. Here Michelangelo’s slaves are freed from the stone block, stalactites, like an evil rock, hang in the mysterious semi-darkness of the cave... And outside, near the grotto, there is a funny sculpture of an absurd naked man. They say that the prototype was the favorite jester of Cosimo the First.

Palazzo Pitti is one of the main museum complexes in Florence. 140 halls with a total area of ​​32 thousand m2 are open for citizens and guests of the city. The Palatine Gallery, the Silver Museum, the Carriage Museum, the Porcelain Museum, and the Gallery of Modern Art in Pitti Square are visited annually by about 1 million people.

Pages of history

The construction of the largest palazzo in Florence was the result of rivalry between two noble families of the city. A successful banker and supporter of the House of Medici, L. Pitti, decided to challenge his patron in this way. The main condition when concluding an agreement with the architect L. Francelli in 1458 was that his new palace should surpass in scale and luxury the residence of the Medici house, Palazzo Vecchio.

To achieve his goal, he spared no expense and did not hesitate in choosing methods, using the labor of convicted criminals during construction. It is possible that his vanity was one of the reasons for the financial collapse of the family. L. Pitti never had time to fully satisfy his ambitions: the construction of the palazzo was completed in 1487 after his death.

The banker's heirs did not have the opportunity to maintain the grandiose building in order, and for almost a century it remained in a semi-abandoned state. A real mockery of fate over the ambitious plans of L. Patti was that in the 16th century the palazzo became the property of representatives of the Medici family. In 1549, it was purchased from B. Pitti by Eleanor of Toledo, wife of Cosimo de' Medici I.

The new owners did not immediately make the palazzo their permanent home. By order of the Duke, it underwent significant reconstruction. In 1558-1570 B. Ammanati built a monumental staircase leading to the main entrance of the palace. During these years, he almost doubled the size of the palazzo, completing a project for an extension from the courtyard in the Mannerist style. In 1565, D. Vasari completed the construction of a covered gallery passing over the Arno River and connecting the Pitti Palazzo, Uffizi and Vecchio.

In 1616, significant changes were again made to the appearance of the palace. The grandson of B. Ammanati D. Parigi was commissioned to increase the area of ​​the palazzo by building an extension on the north side. In 1631, his son, the architect A. Parigi, carried out similar work on the south side of the building.

In 1737, the Medici family was extinguished and the rights to the palazzo were transferred to the new ruler of Tuscany from the Lorraine dynasty, Francis I Stephen. In 1828, with the permission of Duke Leopold II, part of the halls of the palazzo with priceless masterpieces of painting and sculpture became available to the general public.

The last time the palazzo was rebuilt was in 1783-1820. During these years, according to the designs of architects D. Ruggeri, G. M. Paleotti and P. Poccinati, two rondo wings were added to the building, encircling the square.

As a result of the turbulent events of the Risorgimento, Florence became the capital of a united Italy for several years, and Palazzo Pitti in 1865-1871. was the residence of its first king, Victor Emmanuel I. The palace and art collection remained in the ownership of the Savoy dynasty until 1919. This year, by decree of Victor Emmanuel III, they were transferred to the state and from that moment the history of the modern museum complex begins.

Palazzo architectural style

The appearance of the Renaissance building does not quite correspond to modern ideas about palaces. The rusticated masonry of roughly hewn Florentine stone and the almost complete absence of elegant architectural decorative elements creates a feeling of monumentality, an indestructible stronghold, more typical of a medieval castle.

The height of the building is 38 m, and the line of the main facade exceeds 200 m. However, the original palazzo was only 107 m long. This corresponds to seven central windows in the three-story part of the building. Along the entire line of the facade at the level of the 2nd and 3rd floors there is a balcony with a stone balustrade.

Pilasters and semicircular arches of the facade emphasize its clear layout. The few decorative decorations are represented only by the heads of lions in ducal crowns above the windows of the first floor.

On the courtyard side, the wall decoration alternates between stone masonry and a smooth and roughly processed surface. The uneven surface of the columns decorating the palazzo is reminiscent of the tree trunks of the Boboli Garden, thereby emphasizing the closeness of art and nature. The left and right wings of the palazzo, as well as two-story wings, created in the 17th and 18th centuries. harmoniously combine with the main volume of the building.

Palace interior

The decoration of the interior space vividly contrasts with the asceticism of the building’s facades. The original interior of the palazzo has been preserved only partially: what can be seen here today was created mainly in the 17th-18th centuries. Its corridors, halls and galleries are abundantly decorated with gilded stucco ornaments, mosaic inlaid parquet floors, tapestries and numerous frescoes.

In the 17th century By order of Duke Ferdinand II de' Medici, the second floor was redeveloped. Its halls were united into a baroque enfilade and decorated with frescoes by P. di Cortona with scenes about the life of the inhabitants of Olympus: Mars, Apollo, Jupiter, Saturn and Venus.

Not only these, but also many other rooms of the palazzo were named after scenes from wall paintings or the names of the painters who performed them at different times. The Castagnoli Hall bears the name of the artist who painted the ceiling. Frescoes on the theme of the great biblical flood, executed by L. Adamolo, explain the origin of the name of the Hall of the Ark.

D. Colignon decorated one of the rooms of the palazzo with paintings illustrating the legends about Psyche. The decorative decoration on the theme of the ancient Greek myth of the Hall of Prometheus belongs to his brush. Finally, the painting on the ceiling of the Ulysses Hall by G. Martelini tells the story of the adventures of the cunning king of Ithaca.

Boboli Gardens

A picturesque park of 4 hectares behind the palazzo on the hillside at the request of Eleanor of Toledo. was created by the works of N. Tribolo in 1551. After his death, D. Vasari and B. Ammonati continued to work on its improvement.

The main alley leads from the ancient Greek-style amphitheater to a large fountain with a statue of Neptune. Performances based on the works of Publius Terence Afra and D. B. Cini were regularly staged on the open-air stage. Sometimes grandiose spectacles were staged here, such as a naval battle between 12 ships of the Turkish and Christian fleets, for which an artificial pool about 2 m deep was created in front of the amphitheater.

Along the garden alleys and near the grottoes Cave of Moses and the Great Cave, created according to the design of B. Buantaletti in 1583-1593, about 200 sculptures are installed. Among the attractions, the ancient Egyptian obelisk from Luxor, moved here from the Roman Villa Medici, stands out.

The park was opened to the public long before the palazzo, already in 1766, and quickly became a popular holiday destination. It is especially pleasant for a Russian person that this corner of Florence was F. M. Dostoevsky’s favorite place for leisurely walks.

Mikhail Malinovsky

Palazzo Pitti is the largest palace in Florence. The history of its appearance is quite interesting. The most influential man of his time, banker Cosimo de' Medici, built a palazzo for his family in the center of Florence. The palace in the early Renaissance style, discreet and at the same time luxurious, with a courtyard and halls decorated with works of the best Italian artists and sculptors, became the envy of many noble citizens.

However, they did not dare to build palazzos that would be better than the Medici palazzo. Only Luca Pitti, no less influential and thirsty for power, started the construction of a palace that would surpass the rival’s palazzo in all respects.

According to legend, Luca Pitti ordered that the windows in his palace be as large as the doors in the Palazzo Medici, and the courtyard of the Palazzo Pitti could accommodate the entire Medici palace.

Whether this is true or not is unknown, since there is other information: Luca was a friend of Cosimo de Medici, and Cosimo was Luca’s patron. However, this does not mean that they could not be rivals.

It is believed that the architect of Palazzo Pitti was the not very famous Luca Francelli, so the Pitti Palace surpassed the Medici Palace only in its size. Construction of Palazzo Pitti began in 1458, but Luca himself did not wait until construction was completed. After the death of Cosimo de' Medici, he was haunted by financial failures, and soon he himself died.

Almost a hundred years later, Pitti’s descendant sold the palazzo to the Medici family, who completed it, doubling the area. The length of the facade of the three-story palace was 205 m, and the height was 38 m. The height of each floor was more than 10 m.

An elevated corridor was built that ran from the old Medici residence to the Pitti Palace. Gardens were laid out around - the famous Boboli Gardens. The courtyard of the palazzo is the most beautiful courtyard in the Renaissance style.

For two centuries, the palazzo was the residence of the Medici, until it passed to new owners: first to representatives of the Lorraine and then the Savoy dynasty.

In 1919, Palazzo Pitti was nationalized. It houses art galleries with world masterpieces acquired by the state, and museums. 140 palace rooms are open for inspection.

Like the Palazzo Medici-Riccardi, the Palazzo Pitti is faced with golden rustication, which gives it significance and some gloominess. And just like the interior of the Palazzo Medici, the interior of the Palazzo Pitti amazes with its splendor. The palace has preserved wall and ceiling paintings, antique furniture, and tapestries by the best masters of Tuscany.

Today, the Palazzo Pitti houses the Palatine Gallery with collections of paintings, including Raphael and Titian, the Gallery of Modern Art, the Costume Gallery dedicated to the history of fashion, the Silver Museum, the Carriage Museum and the Porcelain Museum.

Helpful information

Where is

The address of Palazzo Pitti (original name - Palazzo Pitti) is as follows: Piazza de Pitti, 1, Florence, Italy.

How to get to Palazzo Pitti

The Pitti Palace is located in Piazza dei Pitti. You can get to it by bus No. 11 or D.

Opening hours of Palazzo Pitti

The Palazzo is open every day of the week except Monday, from 8:15 to 18:50. The ticket office closes at 17:00.

If you move from Piazza della Signoria along the Ponte Vecchio to the southern bank of the Arno, and then take a short walk along Via Guicciardini, the road will lead to Palazzo Pitti, the former residence of the Dukes of Tuscany, Lorraine and even the King of Italy. But, having changed several owners throughout the history of its existence, this palace was finally able to fulfill its purpose - to become a national treasure from a symbol of aristocratic power.

BlogoItaliano has already mentioned Palazzo Pitti in an article. But his remarkable story certainly deserves to be told in more detail.

The history of Palazzo Pitti: a matter of time

When, at the end of 1428, Giovanni di Bicci de' Medici felt the imminent approach of death, he called for his heir, Cosimo, who went down in the history of Florence as Cosimo de' Medici the Elder.

The instructions that the dying father gave to his son boiled down to one thing: never rise up in front of the people, and if this cannot be avoided, try to reduce the performance to a minimum.

But already in 1430, Cosimo, deciding that the former palace of the once bankrupt Bardi bankers, occupied by his family and office, had become too cramped, turned to the great architect Brunelleschi to create a new palazzo on Via Larga (now Via Cavour). The affairs of the Medici were then particularly successful, the people respected and valued the representatives of this family, and the Florentine rich and the rulers of neighboring cities watched its rise with hidden malice.

Palazzo Pitti in Florence

But either out of respect for the memory of his father, or out of the understanding that it was too early to declare himself to his full potential, Cosimo eventually abandoned the luxurious and majestic project of Brunelleschi, preferring the ascetic facades of the architect Michelozzo. True, behind the facades of the new home was hidden a luxury unprecedented at that time, but all external decency was observed.

However, the famous architect’s project was not lost, becoming the prototype for the palace of the wealthy merchant Luca Pitti. But, unlike the far-sighted Cosimo and his heir, Piero, Luca was too hasty, taking an active part in the conspiracy in 1466.

In addition, in the second half of the 15th century. Trade in Europe, due to the expansion of the Ottoman Empire, proceeded with varying success, many once rich families quickly began to go bankrupt. Pitti's house did not escape this fate. A Pitti Palace stood in desolation until 1549.

The history of Palazzo Pitti: from hand to hand

In 1549, Eleanor of Toledo, the wife of... Cosimo I de' Medici, Duke of Tuscany, became interested in the palace, and had been accustomed since childhood to spacious, luxurious apartments. In addition, the Medici were already living in the old, but reliable from a fortification point of view, Palazzo Vecchio. Building Pitti Palace was bought, built on and rebuilt under the leadership of the architect Ammannati.

Nearby, on the hillside, the first of their kind were laid out, in the planning of which a large number of eminent architects took part, including Vasari and Buontalenti.

True, the Medici finally moved to the Pitti Palace in Florence only towards the end of the 16th century, already under Duke Ferdinand I. And the palazzo kept expanding and settling down. Its dimensions - 205 m in length and 36 in height - and the severe rustication cladding emphasized the greatness of the ducal family and symbolized the power of Tuscany.

The Boboli Gardens opened to the public in 1766.

No longer having their previous influence, the Medici passed on titles and palaces from father to son until their line was extinguished in 1737. Their successors were the Dukes of Lorraine, also known as the Austrian Habsburgs, who by that time had already cut off a large piece of the Apennine Peninsula.

During the Napoleonic Wars, the palace briefly passed to the Bourbons, then again returned to the Habsburgs, who owned it until the proclamation of the capital in 1865 and the appearance of the King of Italy, Victor Emmanuel II, within the walls of Palazzo Pitti. But the palace became the property of the state only in 1919: it was presented to Italy by Victor Emmanuel III.

Palazzo Pitti: collection and museums

The Medici, having moved to the Pitti Palace in Florence, also transported the richest collection of paintings, sculptures, silver and jewelry, previously stored in. By 1620, the second floor of the palace had turned into a luxurious baroque gallery with halls of Venus, Mars, Apollo, Jupiter, and Saturn. The ducal collection was originally housed in these rooms.

The gallery contains paintings by Raphael, Titian, Botticelli...

The collection included paintings by Raphael, which was given as a dowry to one of the future duchesses, works by Cimabue, Fra Filippo Lippi and his son, as well as Botticelli and Perugino. Connections with the papal court and trade and military alliances provided the Dukes of Tuscany with the opportunity to receive paintings by Titian, Tintoretto and Veronese.

Thanks to Marie de Medici, Queen of France, who was friends with Rubens, the collection was replenished with his works. Family relations with Naples and Spain helped the Medici acquire paintings by Murillo and Jusepe de Ribera. The collection also contains many works by Italian mannerists: Pontormo, Andrea del Sarto, Bronzino.

It is noteworthy that all the paintings from the ducal collection still occupy the same places on the walls of the mirror-gold Palatine Gallery that were intended for them by the owners when planning the decoration of the halls.

But for the first time, mere mortals were able to see the priceless works of the great masters of the Renaissance only in 1828. The public began to be allowed into the picturesque Boboli Gardens, decorated with two hundred sculptures, fountains and grottoes, much earlier - in 1766.

The walls of the Palatine Gallery are decorated with paintings by Renaissance masters

In the 18th century heavy silverware almost went out of use, and porcelain appeared on tables in rich aristocratic houses, the secret of which was discovered in 1709. An extensive collection of dishes from Sèvres (a gift from Bonaparte to sister Eliza, ruler of Tuscany) and Meissen, as well as valuable examples of antique ceramics are exhibited in the porcelain museum, located in the “secret pavilion” of the Boboli Gardens.

There was a place for silverware, vases, crystal, and a huge amount of jewelry from the Medici family. Visitors to Palazzo Pitti can see them in the Silver Museum adjacent to the Palatine Gallery.

The carriage museum displays a wide variety of vehicles, from springless carriages to automobiles. In the Gallery of Modern Art on the top floor of the palace there are works by artists of the 18th-20th centuries. Also interesting are the 14 halls of the Royal Apartments in the right wing of the palace, a unique exhibition of interiors from the 16th to 19th centuries.

Built in the 18th century. next to the Palazzo Pitti, the Little Palace of Meridiana houses a costume museum, the exhibition of which changes every two years. In total, the collection of this museum contains more than 6,000 different costumes and accessories from the 16th to 20th centuries.

Jewels of the Medici family are housed in the Silver Museum

Tickets to Palazzo Pitti

As the Italians themselves say, if you have not been to Florence, you have not understood Italy. Continuing the analogy, we can say that without visiting the Pitti Palace and the Boboli Gardens, the impression of being in the city will be incomplete.

There are always a lot of visitors in the museum halls and Boboli Gardens. True, there is still no such pandemonium as in or. But only with a lot of luck can you buy tickets to the Palazzo directly at the museum box office without queues and tedious waiting during the hot summer season. Tour groups and students from all over Europe who want to experience beauty don’t just disappear on the streets of Florence.

Moreover, many tourist programs provide a choice: the Pitti Palace or the Uffizi Gallery. And since the palace is more spacious, and initially there are fewer queues, the choice is often made in its favor.

Despite the fact that the Palace is open from 8:15 to 18:50 on all days except Monday, January 25, January 1 and May 1, admission to visitors ends at 17:30, which is logical: in the Palatine Gallery alone there are more than 500 paintings, which will take more than one hour to examine. The same ticket can also be used to enter the Gallery of Modern Art.

Costume Museum, Pitti Palace

That’s right: unfortunately, you won’t be able to buy tickets to the Pitti Palace and the Boboli Gardens right away: prudent Florentines have always known a lot about commerce. However, the amount that you will have to pay for visiting the entire residence is not so great that you should deny yourself the pleasure of visiting the galleries, museums, and gardens in one day.

To make your visit easier and avoid queues, tickets to the Pitti Palace (like other main ones) can be booked in advance through this service. After selecting the attraction of interest and paying for the order, you will receive a voucher by e-mail, which you only need to exchange for a ticket on the day of your visit. That's all, actually.