Eleonora di Toledo, wife of Cosimo I, bought and greatly extended Palazzo Pitti to create a light and airy residence surrounded by magnificent grounds was linked by the Vasari corridor to the Uffizi and Palazzo Vecchio which remained the official power base and seat of government. In the course of its lengthy history the impressive building has been home not only to the Medici and Lorraine grand dukes, but also to Italy's royal family. Today it houses several impressive collections of paintings and sculptures, artefacts, porcelain and a costume gallery, and is a perfectly preserved historic building surrounded by the Boboli Gardens, one of the most famous Italian park.
The Palatine Gallery and Royal Apartments
The Palatine Gallery and Royal Apartments occupy the entire first floor of Palazzo Pitti. The Palatine Gallery was created in the late 18th-century by the Lorraine family to exhibit masterpieces mainly from the Medici collections and houses works by Rafael, Titian, Caravaggio, Rubens, Pietro da Cortona and other italian and european masters of the Renaissance and 17th century. The 14 magnificient rooms of the right wing of the palace house the Royal Apartments, formerly the private residence of the sovereigns, are decorated with furnishings, fittings and works of art dating from the 16th to the 19th century.
Tuesday to Sunday 8.15-18.50
Gallery of Modern Art
The Gallery on the second floor of Palazzo Pitti shows paintings and sculptures mainly by Italian artists, dating from the late 18th century to the First World War. The works displayed in these magnificient rooms, once the residence of the Lorraiine grand dukesm range from the neo-classical period to Romanticism and include a fine collection of the Macchiaioli artists, important examples of late 19th-century Italian schoolsm as well as 20th-century artistic movements.
Tuesday to Sunday 8.15-18.50
Carriage museum
The museum houses fine examples of carriages used by the Lorraine and Savoy courts during the 18th and 19th centuries as wellas antique harnesses for horses. The oldest vehicle is a privately-owned 18th-century saloon carriages. The collection is currently housed in a warehouse awaiting completion of the project which will provide more suitable accomodation for the carriages in the Medici stables.
open only on request and by appointment
Silver Museum
On the ground and mezzanine floors of Palazzo Pitti, the museum's collections contain the famous Medici Treasury. The museum is named after the silver which belonged to the collections of the bishops of Salzburg, brought to Florence in 1815 by Ferdinand III of Lorraine. The museum also contains an important collection of jewellery, dating from the 17 th to the 21th century as well as elegant Chinese and Japanese porcelain.
every day 8.15-16.30 from november to February, 8.15-17.30 March and October after official summer time sets in, 8.15-18.30 in April, May, September and October, 8.15-18.50 in June, July and August
Porcelain Museum
Located in the 18th-century "Palazzina del Cavaliere", the museum houses the finest European porcelain collected by Pietro Leopoldo and Ferdinand III. The collection was further enhanced in 1860 by the addition of porcelain hastily removed from the historic residences of the Savoy at Parma, Piacenza and Sala Baganza, in order to furnish the royal aparments in Florence.
every day 8.15-16.30 from november to February, 8.15-17.30 March and October after official summer time sets in, 8.15-18.30 in April, May, September and October, 8.15-18.50 in June, July and August
Costume Gallery
Located in Palazzo Pitti's 18th-century "Palazzina della Meridiana", the Gallery contains some 6,000 items ranging from antique and modern dress to accessories and theatre costumes, dating from the 18th century to the present day. The Gallery is the only museum to represent the history of fashion in Italy and is one of the most important of its kind on the international scene. Frequent temporary exhibitions are held illustrating particular aspects of the collections.
every day 8.15-16.30 from november to February, 8.15-17.30 March and October after official summer time sets in, 8.15-18.30 in April, May, September and October, 8.15-18.50 in June, July and August
Boboli Gardens
Behind the Pitti Palace lie the magnificient Boboli Gardens, now included in the group of "Great Italian Gardens". The grounds were first laid out at the time of the Medici, creating the Italianate gardens which become a model for many of the European courts. The extensive grounds constitute a veritable open-air museum. filled with antique and Renaissance statues, and enhanced with grottoes and grand fontains.
every day 8.15-16.30 from november to February, 8.15-17.30 March and October after official summer time sets in, 8.15-18.30 in April, May, September and October, 8.15-19.30 in June, July and August
Tel. +39055287860
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