Historical Rucellai Palace Florence

The Rucellai Historical Palace of Florence has been constructed between 1446 and the 1451 by Bernardo Rossellino on design of the Alberti on order of Giovanni il Magnifico, member of the illustrious Rucellai family. The outside of the Rucellai Palace is harmonious and elegant. Of remarkable interest the courtyard and the cappella that encloses another great work: the Tempio of the S. Sepolcro realized by Alberti in 1467. The palace today accommodates the History Museum of the Photography Alinari.

Historical Corsini Palace Florence

Maria Maddalena Macchiavelli, wife of Marchese Filippo Corsini, purchased the historical Palace from the Grand Duke Ferdinando II de' Medici in 1649. Originally, the Palace which was a "Casino" (a little house surrounded by a large garden that extended itself to the banks of the Arno River today known as Lungarno Corsini), belonged to the Ardinghelli family. It was then bought by the Medici and finally by its current owners.

The Historical accomodation Capponi Palace

The Capponi palace in the Via San Sebastiano (now Via Gino Capponi) was built after a design by Fontana. On a magnificent staircase is a modern statue of Piero Capponi, who made himself famous by his bold defiance of Charles VIII. of France. A narrow staircase, in the left wing, leads to the library, rich in manuscripts, and to the picture gallery, containing a large collection of paintings, and where the ceilings are painted in fresco. Among the most interesting is a portrait of Piero Capponi in the second room, probably taken from authentic sources, by Bronzino. Another good picture, by a recent artist, Sabatelli, represents Piero tearing the treaty in the presence of the King of France. Nearer the window is a fine, though small, picture of St. Jerome, by Carlo Dolce; and facing the light another St. Jerome , attributed to the school of Albert Dürer, though corrected in the catalogue to Pinturicchio, a beautiful and highly finished picture. The Infant Christ and St. John the Baptist conversing, in the rocky background, are most lovely, and the expression of the saint is very fine. In a third room is a picture, by Gardini, of Pandolfo Ricasoli and his companion in guilt listening to their sentence by the Inquisition, pronounced in the Refectory of Sta. Croce before a crowd of witnesses. A Last Communion of St. Jerome is by Andrea del Castagno; a very sweet picture of the Madonna and Child, No. 173, is by Marco d' Oggione, a pupil of Leonardo da Vinci; above it is a fine Christ in the arms of Nicodemus, by Andrea del Sarto. No. 160 is a good portrait of a gentleman, with a little girl holding a flower, of the Venetian school. But the gem of the collection is a Communion of St. Jerome, by Filippino Lippi, a most exquisite miniature; the expression of the saint, of the priest who places the wafer in his mouth, and of the attendant monks, is true to nature, forcible and earnest; and every detail of the accessories is finished with the utmost delicacy. In a fourth room is a portrait of the late Marchese Gino Capponi when young; a fifth room contains some excellent portrait-heads. A large bed of state is shown in a room near the entrance, with rich carving, cherubs, &c., in wood guilt. Palazzo Capponi is an atmospheric venue, the ideal place for organizing interesting events and business meeting. This ancient building can suit the requirements of a clientele thet is looking for a prestigious venue for holding conferences and seminars, cultural events, gala dinners, private parties, fashion shows, photo shoots, as well as the fringe events held during Florence's numerous functions.

Davanzati Palace Florence

The Davanzati Palace (center of the Davanzati Museum) was constructed at the beginning of XIV the century. At the beginning of XX the century it was acquired by the antiquarian Elia Volpi that restored it. She furnished it in order to make a reconstruction of ancient florentine house. The Palace in fact is known like museum of the ancient florentine house. The furnishings of the rooms (frescoed and with the ceilings in wood) is the same of one florentina house between Middle Ages and rinascimento. Furnitures are conserved carve and inlay, forzieri, paintings, cassapanche, tapestries, sculptures, ceramics, objects of domestic use and for the kitchen.

Mozzi Palaces Florence

The Mozzi Palace is situated at the numbers 2, 121 and 123 of via San Niccolò and was built in the XIII century. In the XIX century Bardini bought the palace and he restaured it in the 1881. The building become property of the commune of Florence in the 1992. The Corsi Gallery is located on the second floor of the palace, this consists of works from the twelfth to the fourteenth centuries given to the Town Council in 1938 by Mrs. Fortunata Carobbi Corsi. Closed to the public due to the unfitness of the rooms for public use, exhibitions are periodically arranged on the ground floor of the Museum in order to show the works in rotation.

Bargello Palace Florence

The Palace of Podestà or Bargello, was begun in 1255 by the Florentine 'People' for his Captain. From 1574 it was the seat of the Bargello or Captain of Justice. In this period the interior of the Palace was transformed into prisons. In 1857 began the restoration of the palace demolishing the superstructures which were altering the interior. The patrimony consists in about 30.000 pieces among coins, tapestry, ancient weapons and other objects of art besides some statues of the XVI century. Sculptures of Giambologna, terrecotta of Della Robbia, works of art of Verrocchio, Antonio del Pollaiolo, just to mention some. Four masterpieces of Michelangelo: Bust of Brutus which is the ideal portrait of Cesar's murderer, the marble Tondo representing Madonna and Child and St.Giovannino, L'Apollino and the Drunken Bacchus. Moreover there are shown: the marble statue of St.George, Young David in bronze, both by Donatello.

Pitti Palace Florence

The Pitti Palace is situated on the hill of Boboli and was constructed in the second half of the XV by Luca Pitti, rich florentine merchant. Giorgio Vasari attributes the plan to Filippo Brunelleschi to which Luca Pitti commissioned it about the 1440. The structure of Pitti Palace is the same of the model of rinascimentale palace: a cube the whose height is equal to the depth, with one style in stone obtained from hills of Boboli typically fiorentino. The surface is subdivided in three plans, a balcony crosses the entire facade and under the roof it is present one loggia. In 1919 was decreed the passage of all the assets to the Italian State; today it is center of many between the most prestigious museums in Florence.

Medici Riccardi Historical Palace Florence

The 15th century Medici-Riccardi Palace (Palazzo Medici-Riccardi) contains some great Renaissance art including the "Procession of the Magi". The palace is located in central Florence. The history of Palazzo Medici Riccardi, one of the most famous in Florence, is an integral part of the history of the city. Built in the mid XV century on commission from the Medici by Michelozzo, the building became an important example of Renaissance architecture. After a period of neglect, in 1659 the Medici sold it to the Riccardi Family who renovated the interior with Baroque flavour and extended the building north area. Palazzo Medici Riccardi offers the visitor the chance to retrace over four centuries of the history of art, architecture and collectionism in Florence. On the ground floor, the fulcrum of which is Michelozzo's fifteenth-century courtyard; but the true gem of the palace is the Chapel of the Magi. The chapel, built and decorated in the XV century, features a harmonious decoration of enchanting beauty. More specifically, the frescoes of Benozzo Gozzoli, more famous even than the artist himself, constitute one of the most eminent illustrations of Medici Florence. Opening hours Weekdays and holidays: 9. 00 - 19. 00 Closed Wednesday

Strozzi Palace Florence

The Strozzi Palace of Florence is situated between the Strozzi public square and Tornabuoni street. The Strozzi Palace always has been a symbol of the florentine architecture. Its construction was intentional of the merchant Filippo Strozzi that it bought and made to pull down good part of the surrounding buildings giving the assignment of the construction to Benedetto da Maiano, which was limited to leave a model to its committente. The construction began in 1489 under the direction of Simone del Pollaiolo but Filippo Strozzi died before the completion, and was its sons to inhabit it for first time in the first years of XVI the century. Today Strozzi Palace accommodates the Viesseux Cabinet, with one great library, the National Institute of Studies of the Rinascimento, the offices of Florence Extensions. The first floor rooms, fruit of a restructure of the XIX century, are used for important extensions in Florence.

Old Palace Florence

Formally known as Palazzo della Signoria, the Palazzo Vecchio (with a beautiful high tower of 94 meters) has a simple front facing the Piazza della Signoria. However the courtyard and the interior are both absolutely beautiful. Inside you find an art collection with work from several European drawers from the 15th to the 18th century. It is a impressive and interesting building and is the main complex in Piazza della Signoria. The beautiful Piazza della Signoria wouldn't be the most important place in Florence without the presence of this great Palazzo in the middle. Today the Palazzo Vecchio is the seat of the municipal government and is only partially open to the public. As we are going to see in some of the pics to come, Palazzo Vecchio is connected with the Pitti Palace through the Vasari corridor which runs through the Uffizi and over Ponte Vecchio to the other side of the river Arno. The corridor was constructed by Vasari after the Medici family moved into the Pitti Palace.