Palazzo Pitti

Palazzo Pitti, purchased in 1550 by Cosimo I de’ Medici and his wife Eleonora di Toledo as the new Grand Dukes’ residence, soon became the symbol of the Medici’s power over Tuscany. It was subsequently the royal premises of other two dynasties, that of the Hapsburg-Lorena (successors of the Medici family from 1737) and the Savoy who inhabited it as royals of Italy from 1865,but  Palazzo Pitti still carries the name of its first owner, Florentine banker Luca Pitti who, during the mid-15th century, built the grand palazzo on the “other side” of the Arno River, perhaps upon design of Brunelleschi. The Palace also includes the marvellous Boboli Garden and is currently the seat of five different museums inside: the Tesoro dei Granduchi (Grand Dukes’ Treasure), the Galleria Palatina e gli Appartamenti (the Palatine Gallery and Apartments), the Galleria d'Arte Moderna (the Gallery of Modern Art), the Museo della Moda e del Costume (the Museum of Fashion and Costume) and the Museo delle Porcellane (the Porcelain Museum).

Museums