Compared to the Uffizi Gallery, Palazzo Pitti is undoubtedly less well-known and sought after. It’s rare to find long lines at the ticket office to access the palace. However, the historical and artistic value of the architectural complex and the collections on display is absolutely on par; in fact, many visitors are surprised because they did not expect to find such magnificence and wealth of objects and artworks by great masters.
That’s why I wholeheartedly recommend planning a guided tour of Palazzo Pitti!
Introduction to the History of the Palace
Luca Pitti, a Florentine merchant and banker, built the palace in the mid-15th century in the Santo Spirito district. Its rusticated stone façade and three-story design reflect the typical urban residences of the Florentine bourgeoisie. In the following century, Cosimo I, Duke of Florence, and his Spanish wife Eleonora of Toledo purchased the property, initiating significant structural changes. The Medici family resided in the palace continuously from the late 16th century until the 18th century, when their dynasty ended without heirs. The Grand Duchy of Tuscany then passed to the Lorena family, who remained in the palace until the Unification of Italy, aside from a brief period of French domination. Under the House of Savoy, the residence officially became a royal palace. The guided tour begins in the courtyard and proceeds to the first floor, home to the Palatine Gallery.
The Palatine Gallery
The Palatine Gallery on the first floor is the most important museum in Palazzo Pitti. Visitors explore rooms that were once the private apartments of the Grand Duke and Duchess of the Medici family, as well as the grand reception rooms, including the famous Five Planet Rooms. The Baroque gallery layout, designed by the Lorena family, opened to the public in 1828, maintaining a display style reminiscent of the Medici era but in different parts of the palace. The guided tour highlights masterpieces from Raphael to Rubens, Titian to Caravaggio, as well as Pietro da Cortona’s frescoes in the Sala della Stufa and the Planet Rooms. Visitors will also admire exquisite furnishings such as Florentine inlaid tables and refined porcelain vases.
The Palatine Gallery features a stunning series of frescoed rooms adorned with gilded stuccos. Its walls are richly decorated with paintings by renowned Italian and foreign artists of the Renaissance and Baroque periods. The rooms also showcase inlaid hard-stone tables, Chinese porcelain vases, and Murano glass chandeliers. Among the gallery’s most notable paintings are eleven works by Raphael, alongside numerous pieces by Titian, Rubens, Caravaggio, and others, representing the Florentine school of the 16th century and Flemish art of the 17th century.
The Medici Treasury: Hardstone Vases, Ivory Curiosities, and Jewels
The tour continues in the Silver Museum, located in rooms that once served as the Grand Dukes’ summer apartments. The ground-floor rooms, used for court ceremonies, were lavishly frescoed in the 17th century with allegorical subjects and Baroque quadratura. The exhibited objects come from Medici collections, reflecting the personal tastes of various family members: hardstone vases from Lorenzo the Magnificent, baroque pearls from Anna Maria Luisa, ivories from Mattias, amber from Cosimo III, and lapis lazuli and rock crystal from Francesco I.
Museum of Costume and Fashion
Another museum in Palazzo Pitti, the Costume Gallery, is housed in the palace’s 18th-century wing, built during Pietro Leopoldo Lorena’s time. This gallery rotates its exhibits every two to three years, featuring elegant and precious garments from public and private donations. During the guided tour, visitors can also view the restored funeral garments of Cosimo I, Eleonora of Toledo, and Garzia.
Porcelain Museum
At the highest point of the Boboli Gardens, on the Terrazza del Cavaliere, lies the Porcelain Museum. This small yet charming museum consists of three rooms showcasing collections from the 19th century, primarily belonging to the Lorena family and Napoleon’s sister Elisa Baciocchi. Some Medici pieces are also on display, including refined porcelain from Giangastone’s service sets. The collection features cups, plates, trays, and figurines from French, Capodimonte, German, and Austrian manufacturers, in Rococo and Neoclassical styles.
The Italian Garden on the Boboli Hill.
During the Pitti era, the hill served as a vegetable garden, possibly planted with olive trees and vines. The Medici transformed the slope facing the palace into a garden, featuring fountains, grottoes, water basins, statues, and fanciful architectural elements created by court architects and sculptors. This marked the birth of the Italian Garden, a model imitated in European royal residences and beyond. The guided tour of the garden can focus on the main section or include the southern area, extending to Porta Romana. Depending on time and preferences, the tour can be tailored to suit visitors’ needs.