If you’re planning a trip to Florence, Italy, you should be sure to visit the Pitti Palace. Also known as the Palazzo Pitti, the palace dates back to 1498. Although the Renaissance architecture outside and inside the palace is very lovely, it has more to offer visitors than that. The palace is also home to art galleries and several different museums. Behind the palace lie the famous Boboli Gardens.
One gallery is called the Palatine Gallery and contains paintings from artists like Raphael and Andrea del Sarto. It has over 500 paintings in total, most of which are from the Renaissance period. It started out as a private collection, but was eventually opened to the public in the late 1700’s. The paintings there are still displayed much like they would be in a private collection instead of having paintings arranged in a certain way.
The other gallery is Gallery of Modern Art. It is spread across more than 30 rooms and primarily contains paintings by artists of the Macchiaioli movement. In Italy, the term "modern art" is used to refer to the period from 1700 to early 1900, so it’s not what you might expect from a modern art museum.
The museums inside Pitti Palace include the Silver museum, which houses a collection of priceless silver, the Porcelain Museum, and the Costume Gallery. One of the most popular museums is the Carriages Museum, which is on the palace’s ground floor. Many of the carriages are beautiful decorated, and some of them were used by Kings and Archbishops.
Videos from Palazzo Pitti
Pitti Palace is Florence’s largest complex of museums. It’s definitely a can’t miss stop on any trip to Florence. Every floor is full of stuff to look at, and it truly has something for everyone.
Pitti Palace address and hours
Palazzo Pitti
Piazza Pitti 1
50123 Firenze (FI)
Open from 8.15 a.m. to 6.50 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday
Closed Mondays, January 1, May 1, and December 25. The Royal Apartments close every January for maintenance.
Photos by Bumpy Tours on flickr
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