Pitti Palace Florence (Palazzo Pitti)

What to see in Pitti Palace Florence

Regarding Palazzo Pitti, its history begins in 1458. It was initially built as the residence of Luca Pitti, a Florentine merchant and its first owner, whose name it still carries despite later inhabitants being far more famous. The reason that drove Luca Pitti to construct this grand palace and assign the project to a student of Brunelleschi was envy. His family was a rival of the Medici family, who had recently built the Palazzo Medici for Cosimo the Elder. Palazzo Pitti was once attributed to Brunelleschi, but subsequent studies confirmed that his student, Luca Fancelli, was the architect.

The construction still needs to be completed, possibly because the Pitti family incurred significant debts. In 1549, Palazzo Pitti was sold to Eleonora di Toledo, the wife of rival Cosimo I de’ Medici, who desired a sunnier location reminiscent of her Naples.

From this point onwards, grand dukes, nobles, and their courts succeeded each other in their rooms. After restoration and expansion works, Palazzo Pitti became the permanent residence of the Medici family, hosting parties, events, and even naval battle reenactments in its courtyard-turned-artificial lake, two meters deep.

In 1737, it became the home of the Habsburg-Lorraines, mainly due to the Grand Duke of Florence, Pietro Leopoldo. Even Napoleon Bonaparte stayed at Palazzo Pitti. With the annexation of Tuscany to Piedmont, Florence became the capital of the Kingdom of Italy, and from 1865 to 1870, Palazzo Pitti served as the royal palace for the Savoy family, where King Vittorio Emanuele II resided.

Traces of the Savoy family‘s presence can be found in the Throne Room and the painting “The Genius of the House of Savoy.” Finally, it was the Savoy family who, in 1919, donated the palace to the state, which turned it into a state museum.

Today, Palazzo Pitti houses five different museums managed directly by the Uffizi Galleries Directorate and the Superintendency of Archaeology, Fine Arts, and Landscape for the Metropolitan City of Florence and the provinces of Pistoia and Prato. Speaking of the Uffizi: perhaps not everyone knows that there’s a corridor between the Uffizi and Palazzo Pitti, known as the “Vasari Corridor.” This elevated path starts from Palazzo Vecchio and, passing through the Uffizi and the Ponte Vecchio, reaches Palazzo Pitti.

What to see inside Pitti Palace Florence?

Inside this history-rich building, as mentioned, several of the city’s most important museums are housed. In addition to the Royal Apartments, you’ll find:

Palatine Gallery
Museum of Fashion and Costume
Modern Art Gallery
Porcelain Museum
Silver Museum (Treasury of the Grand Dukes)
Carriage Museum

Let’s take a closer look at these museums, so you can better plan your visit to Palazzo Pitti.

Palatine Gallery

Palazzo Pitti is divided into three floors, with the “noble” floor entirely occupied by the Palatine Gallery and the Royal and Imperial Apartments. The Palatine Gallery gathers four centuries’ worth of artworks and the life stories of the noble families that lived there (namely the Medici, Habsburg-Lorraine, and Savoy families).

However, the Habsburg-Lorraines began collecting and arranging works in the space known as the Quadreria between the late 1700s and the beginning of the next century. Unlike traditional “museums,” the approximately 500 artworks (including those by Raphael, Titian, Rubens, Tintoretto, and Caravaggio) aren’t arranged chronologically but rather with an aesthetic sense.

The tour begins in the Antechamber of the Grooms, then proceeds to the Gallery of Statues, once displayed outdoors in the courtyard, coming from the Cardinal Ferdinando de’ Medici collection. Next is the Castagnoli Room, and from here, you can choose to continue to the Quartiere del Volterrano on the right or to the Grand Duke’s Apartments straight ahead.

The Quartiere del Volterrano, named after the works of Baldassarre Franceschini (il Volterrano) displayed in the Allegory Room, consists of finely decorated apartments. Take advantage of the Ark Room, where the Grand Duchess held audiences, the Aurora Room, the Berenice Room, and the Psyche Room used as a private residence.

On the other hand, the Grand Duke’s apartments house the most important works of the Palatine Gallery, starting with the Prometheus Room. This is where the Grand Duchy‘s council was held, and here, you can admire, along with the frescoes, works by Caravaggio, Raphael, Botticelli, and Titian. Besides the “tondo” forms typical of Florentine art, the central fresco depicting Prometheus, protected by Minerva, is stealing divine fire.

In the Grand Duke’s apartments, we find the Grand Duke’s bedroom, namely the Ulysses Room, where the fresco depicts the Homeric hero’s return to Ithaca and Raphael’s “Madonna dell’Impannata.”

Every detail is worth admiring and observing closely, but we’d like to highlight the main Works not to miss:

“Sleeping Cupid” by Caravaggio, in the Education of Jupiter Room
“The Four Ages of Man” by Pietro da Cortona, in the Stove Room
“Judith with Her Maidservant” and “Mary Magdalene,” by Artemisia Gentileschi; “Pregnant Woman” by Raphael and “Assumption of the Virgin Mary” by Andrea del Sarto, in the Iliad Room.

Finally, the visit ends where guests used to wait to be received, in the Planets Rooms. Here, you’ll find various works by Raphael, with the most well-known being the “Madonna of the Chair,” “La Velata,” Peter Paul Rubens’ “The Four Philosophers,” and Titian’s “Saint Mary Magdalene.”

Royal Apartments

After visiting the Palatine Gallery of Pitti Palace Florence, take a moment to rest to avoid succumbing to the probable Stendhal Syndrome before continuing. What awaits you in the Royal Apartments are fourteen rooms where both the Habsburg-Lorraine and Medici families lived, as well as the Savoy family, albeit briefly. Thanks to the latter, we see the palace as it is today, as they introduced modifications, primarily in the decorations. An example can be seen in the details of the Throne Room, dedicated to King Vittorio Emanuele II of Savoy, where you can also admire Oriental ceramics.

Museum of Fashion and Costume

It’s important to note that, although one of the most significant in Italy, there are other museums related to fashion in Florence. Unlike the Salvatore Ferragamo Museum or the Gucci Museum, however, its goal is to focus on the history of fashion through the centuries, not just recent trends. A must for fashion students, enthusiasts, and the simply curious, where you’ll find attire from the 16th century onwards (including clothes from the de’ Medici family) up to the present day.

The emphasis is, of course, on Italian-made creations or those by Italian designers like Missoni, Valentino, or Versace, but other prominent names in fashion are also featured. Watch for the exciting yearly exhibitions, often featuring garments from international celebrities. The museum is open every day from 8:30 AM to 6:30 PM. The ticket costs 7 euros, but entry is free if you visit on the first Sunday of the month.

Modern Art Gallery

As mentioned, Palazzo Pitti has three floors. Until the 1930s, the Savoy family still inhabited the second floor. Only later were the 30 rooms transformed into the National Gallery of Modern Art, focusing primarily on art from the late 18th century to the early decades of the last century, spanning Neoclassicism and Romanticism, up to Decadence, Symbolism, Post-Impressionism, and more.

To be noticed are the works of the Macchiaioli school, particularly those by Giovanni Fattori. Once the tour is finished, remember to take a look to enjoy a privileged view of the city and the Boboli Gardens.

Porcelain Museum

Here, you’ll find the splendid porcelain dinner services that belonged to and were used by the Grand Dukes of the Medici family first, then the Habsburg-Lorraines and Savoys. These include both unique pieces specifically created for these families and gifts received from other nobles and rulers across Europe. Previously, this museum was located inside Palazzo Pitti alongside the Silver Museum, but it was later moved to the Casino del Cavaliere on the Boboli Gardens hill.

You’ll have to climb up to reach it, so visiting during the hottest summer hours is generally not recommended. In any case, the garden and ceramics more than makeup for the effort! The ticket is included in the one for the garden visit.

Silver Museum, or Treasury of the Grand Dukes

This museum is located in the left wing between the ground floor and the raised ground floor of Pitti Palace Florence. The Silver Museum, now better known as the Treasury of the Grand Dukes, is more centered around something other than silver. Instead, it houses various artworks created with different materials, from silver to crystal, as well as gems and precious stones, watches, cameos, and carpets.

All these objects of great value come both from Florentine workshops and from around the world. Once again, the rooms formerly inhabited by the grand dukes of different families that succeeded each other within this Renaissance palace provide a backdrop with finely decorated frescoes.

Carriage Museum

This section is located on the ground floor of the Casino del Cavaliere palace at Piazza Pitti. As you might expect, it showcases carriages used by the Habsburg-Lorraine and Savoy families, including a carriage with a gold chassis and several carriages commissioned by King Ferdinand II of Naples. Unfortunately, the museum is undergoing restoration, and visits are available only by appointment. To request information, you can send an email to ga-uff@beniculturali.it.

Boboli Gardens: An Enchanting Place to Explore

Lastly, more than just a garden, the Boboli Gardens is an outdoor museum in its own right. Commissioned by Cosimo I de’ Medici‘s first wife, Eleonora di Toledo, it was designed by Niccolò Pericoli, known as Tribolo. It’s a perfect example of an Italian garden, and, as if its strict beauty weren’t enough, it also hosts a series of exciting sculptures and structures.

The most important, as it also houses the Porcelain Museum, is located at the top: the Casino del Cavaliere. Also worth visiting are the Limonaia (Lemon House) and the Kaffeehaus: the former initially served as a shelter for exotic animals but was later used for citrus cultivation: the latter, a pavilion where the Lorraine court used to stroll.

Don’t forget the theater, the statues (especially the Statue of Abundance), the fountains, and the caves, like the mysterious Grotta di Madama or Buontalenti’s Grotto. You can also reach the adjacent Bardini Garden and Forte Belvedere from the Boboli Gardens.

What to Visit Alongside Pitti Palace Florence

If you intend to immerse yourself in Florentine artfully, there’s a solution that might be suitable for you. A combined ticket, the Passepartout 5 Days, includes Palazzo Pitti, Uffizi, Boboli Gardens, National Archaeological Museum, and the Opificio delle Pietre Dure Museum. This ticket is valid for five days and guarantees priority entry (except for free admission). The validity extends to the sixth day of the five days, including a Monday (museum closing day) or January 1 or December 25.

However, there are conditions: the Uffizi Gallery must be the first museum visited, and prior reservation is necessary. Additionally, you must arrive 15 minutes before your reserved time at Gate 3 of the Uffizi. The Passepartout 5 Days costs 38€ (total price) from March to October and 18€ (full price) from November to February.