Plazzo Pandolfini
Still owned by the Pandolfini family, this palazzo was commissioned by Giannozzo Pandolfiny, Archbishop of Troia, in 1520, after a degign by Rafaël.
Address: Via San Gallo 74
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Palazzo Pitti
The Pitti Palace was begun during the second half of the fifteenth century by Luca Pitti, but was unfinished at his death in 1472. Tradition says that the palace was designed by Filippo Brunelleschi (1377-1446) and built by his pupil Luca Fancelli. The original construction on two floors above a ground floor with only five windows on each floor, was bought in 1550 by Cosimo I de' Medici's wife, Eleonora of Toledo and became the official residence of the grand ducal family. The palace was then enlarged and altered; from 1560 date the grandiose courtyard and the two lateral wings, designed by Bartolomeo Ammanati (1511-1592) and the complete rearrangement of the gardens. Under Cosimo II de' Medici (died 1621) the opening up of the view was begun together with the layout of the piazza, carried out to the designs of Giulio and Alfonso Parigi.

The facade then assumed its present appearance, with the exception of the two projecting pavilions, built under the House of Lorraine and completed only in the first half of the nineteenth century by G.M. Paoletti and P. Poccianti, also the architect of the Meridiana pavilion at the rear of the palace.Most of the internal decoration of the Pitti was executed during the seventeenth century by Giovanni da San Giovanni, Piefro da Cortona, il Volterrano and Anton Domenico Gabbiani, with the important subsequent work of Sebastiano Ricci (1659-1734). As regards the domestic life of the palace, we know that it housed many members of the family. The rooms on the left of the facade were reserved for the Grand Duke, those on the right for the heir and the lateral wings on the first floor for their respective wives. The front rooms on the second floor contained the large palace library, while at the sides lived the children. The ground floor to the left contained the summer apartment of the Grand Duke, there was a mezzanine reserved for his private use.

Today, the palace and the Boboli gardens behind it contain some of the most important Florentine museums. On the first floor is the Palatine Gallery, on the ground floor and mezzanine the Silver Museum ("degli Argenti") and the Gallery of Modern Art is on the top floor. In the separate Palazzina del Cavaliere on the upper slopes of the Boboli gardens is the Porcelain Museum, while in the Palazzina of the Meridiana the Costume Gallery can be found.
Address: Piazza Pitti 1
Tel: +39 (0)55 - 213 440
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Opening Hours: 8.30-13.50

Palazzo Rucellai
Bernardo Rossellino built this palazzo between 1446 and 1458, for Giovanni Rucellai after designs by Leon Battista Alberti. Not like the Medici or Strozzi palazzi, this palazzo is basically a façade in front of some older buildings owned by the Rucellai family. The façade was never finished, one can still the intention of expanding it to the right.

Today the Palazzo Rucellai houses the Museo di Storia della Fotografia Fratelli Alinari, dedicated to the history of photography. The loggia is also attributed to Alberti.
Address: Via dela Vigna Nuova 18
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Palazzo Medici Riccardi
This is the most typical example of privately commissioned Renaissance architecture. Cosimo the Elder commissioned Michelozzo to design a palace in 1444. Inside there is an elegant courtyard, a small Italian garden and the famous chapel with Benozzo Gozzoli’s fresco the "Procession of the Magi" (1459).
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Palazzo Vecchio
This is the most important civil building in the city; construction, to plans by Arnolfo di Cambio, was begun in 1299. It was the seat of the Priori delle Arti, of the Signoria and the ducal residence; over the centuries it was remodelled several times. Michelozzo later modified the 14th century courtyard, graced with the fountain with the “putto”, a copy of Verrocchio’s original. Inside, it is worth seeing the Salone dei Cinquecento, the study of Francesco I, the room of the Elements and the Sala dei Gigli.
Address: Piazza Signoria
Tel: +39 (0)55 - 2768325
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openings=Lit. 11000

Palazzo Davanzati
This building dates from the mid-14th century. the antique dealer Elia Volpi purchased it in the early years of the 20th century and restored and furnished it, to recreate a period Florentine home. The many rooms, several of which are decorated with frescoes and fine coffered ceilings, contain carved and inlaid furniture, chests, benches, paintings, tapestry, sculptures, ceramics, items used every day and in the kitchens. It’s one of the finest examples of trecento palazzi in Florence, though the loggia is an addition of the 15th century.
Address: Via Porta Rossa 9
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Palazzo Strozzi
Filippo Strozzi the Elder commissioned Benedetto da Maiano to build this palace. He began working in 1489 and was replaced by Cronaca who built the cornice and courtyard. Palazzo Strozzi is one of the finest expressions of Renaissance architecture.
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