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About
Palazzo Pitti is an imposing Renaissance-style palace in Florence, located in Piazza dei Pitti. The palace was the residence of the Grand Duchy of Tuscany, and was inhabited, over time, by the Medici family, by the Habsburg-Lorraine and, after the Unification of Italy, by the Savoy.
Palazzo Pitti hosts the Palatine Gallery, the Royal Apartments, the Apartment of the Duchess of Aosta, the Gallery of Modern Art, the Treasury of the Grand Dukes of Tuscany, the Costume Gallery, the Porcelain Museum and the Carriage Museum. The museal complex of Palazzo Pitti also includes the Boboli Gardens.
SHORT HISTORY
Luca Pitti, a rival of the Medici family, desired a more luxurious palace than the one built by Michelozzo for Cosimo the Elder. Around 1440, Pitti entrusted the project to Filippo Brunelleschi, but the architect died long before the construction began, and the project passed to his pupil, Luca Fancelli.
The construction was started around 1458, but, due to various design problems and financial difficulties, the works were temporarily interrupted in 1465. Luca Pitti died in 1472.
Around 1550, Buonaccorso Pitti sold the palace to Eleonora di Toledo, wife of Cosimo I de’ Medici and daughter of the Viceroy of Naples. The palace thus became the main residence of the Medici family, without actually changing its name.
The arrangement of the gardens was started in 1551, by Niccolò Tribolo. The original design of the gardens was centered around a central amphitheater, which was built using the natural conformation of the hill.
In 1560, the first extension of the building was realized by Bartolomeo Ammannati, who built, among other things, the imposing courtyard.
In 1565, Giorgio Vasari built the Vasari Corridor, that crossed Ponte Vecchio to connect Palazzo Pitti with Palazzo Vecchio, passing through the Church of Santa Felicita, Ponte Vecchio and the Uffizi.
In the meantime, between 1558 and 1570, Ammannati created a monumental staircase for the main floor, and extended the rear wings of the building, embracing the courtyard and closing it on the west side.
In 1616, a competition was launched to extend the facade, won by Giulio Parigi, nephew of Ammannati. The work was finished by Alfonso Parigi, his son, in 1631.
In the 18th century, Giuseppe Ruggeri added the two side wings that embrace the square.
In the early 19th century, the palace was used by Napoleon Bonaparte as a residence, during his government of Italy.
In 1833, under Leopold II of Habsburg-Lorraine, Grand Duke of Tuscany, some parts of the palace were opened to the public as a museum.
The King Vittorio Emanuele II resided here between 1865, when Florence became the capital of Italy, and 1871, when he moved to Palazzo del Quirinale, in Rome, the new capital.
After various restorations, Palazzo Pitti is today a museal complex managed by the Uffizi Gallery.
HOW TO GET THERE
Palazzo Pitti is located about 1.5 kilometers away from the Santa Maria Novella railway station. The closest bus stop is Pitti, right in front of the palace, on the bus Lines C3 and C4.
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